Things fall apart

Things Fall Apart is a book that talks about how African culture was demolished by the catholic missionaries that came to spread their faith to Niger and places around it. In this book you follow Okonkwo, a native to the tribe of Umuofia and a very high class citizen in the village. He grew up to a lazy father and from a young age had to sharecrop to feed himself and his family. But as he grew up he finally started to obtain enough money to buy his own yam crop and start farming for himself. As he grew older his farm prospered and he became a powerful man and was of very high status. Until one day when a funeral was happening and they were firing off the ceremonial guns but Okonkwo's gun exploded killing a child. He was banished for seven years because of the accident and the villagers burned his compound and all his yam crops. So he left in exile depressed and under lots of pain to his motherland where he started anew with a small compound and only a few yams. Half way through the seven years Okonkwo is back on his feet with a new yam farm strange white men start coming into the village talking of only one god and building churches and all of the tribes were shaken because of it. Finally seven years have passed and Okonkwo is allowed to return to Umuofia to find it taken over by the missionaries. He is invited to talk to the leader of the missionaries but is tricked and thrown in jail. After being released and stripped of his pride Okonkwo lashes out in a rage, killing a white messenger and hanging himself.

Although this book wasn't very interesting to read, it was very informative on European culture, and very sad. I think this book if your willing to wade through slow parts is a very good read for someone of a medium understanding of African society.

Thanks Mrs. Jensen for a wonderful 8th grade year!
-Will

The Brotherband Chronicles : The Outcasts

   This book is based on a group called the skandians. Many of you will not know what a skandian is but some of you might especially if you have read The Ranger Apprentice series. A skandian is one the fiercest warriors in the whole world. Their barbaric ways frighten many people. They go raiding all of the time. it is not uncommon to be raided for all the gold, silver, or/and other precious materials kept in your city. Skandians can fight and defeat any enemy even if they are outnumbered 5 to 1. The skandians mos t treasured weapon is a battle ax. when they go into battle with battle axes their enemy will will cower in fear. Their favorite tactic is to charge into battle screaming and swinging their axes around.
   This book starts with the normal skandian raid. They go and plunder the city and take everything. But in the process one skandian is killed, and another skandian vows to take care of his son and wife. About 16 years later Brotherband Training begins. The brotherband is where 16 year old boys train t become real skandians. Hal and his friends are the underdogs. All of his team mates, including him, are outcasts. On his team he has a thief, a kid that has a really bad temper, a class clown, a regular kid with nothing really special, and other kids with nothing that special to mention. Although they are nothing special Hal is. Hal is a natural born leader and inventor. he takes these kids and turns them into believers. In short they end up winning the Brotherband training course. With the winning Hal and his team are given the chance to watch over the Andomal. The Andomal is skandias most prized treasure. While they are on watch it gets stolen by pirates. Hal and his crew are now hated by all of Skandia. SO, he decides to go after the Andomal.
\    This is a very intereting book with lots of adventure and action in it. It makes the book better if you read at least some of the Ranger Apprentice series just to know what a real skandian is. This is a very exciting, interesting, suspenseful book. I would recommend it to anyone. A.

Micheal Vey: Rise of the Elgen

 

Micheal Vey 

 Rise of the Elgen

Book by: Richard Paul Evans

Book Review by: Brendan Larsen

SPOILERS!!!

(Duh!)

         Micheal Vey seems normal, but he has Tourettes syndrome, and he is basically a human tazer. In the first book his mom got taken by the Elgen (who are the bad guys), and  Micheal found out that there are more like him. They are called the Electric Children, or Glows. Some are bad, and work for Dr. Hatch, and some are much more humane, and joined the ElectroClan (Micheal's friends, which all aren't Glows). The Elgen want to create a world in which the Electric Children rule, and everyone is electric, but that means killing a lot of people in the process. Now, the ElectroClan has to break into the most heavily guarded Elgen compuond in the world. And the rats you see on the cover are electrified rats that generate electricity, and are also very deadly. So, basically, there is going to be a ton of challenges.

         I loved the book in every aspect, and almost couldn't put it down. The only reason why I did ever put it down is because the teachers were yelling at me to pay attention. I would suggest it to anyone that likes sci-fi or action books. I got hooked on the first page of the first book (which was originally supposed to be the book for my book reveiw this month) and just couldn't stop reading it. I am really excited for the third book to come out to local libraries. So, just give this book a chance, and you will find that you won't regret it. Ever.

 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

     That's right, yet another Hunger Games book review! I'm sure you, Mrs.Jensen along with all the other students who actually read these reviews are pretty sick of them being on a book that sold more than 23.5 Million copies in the United States alone. (Yalsa.ala.org) I'm sick of it just as much as everyone else, but since the book is so popular I decided to give it a try, and I have got to say, it was actually pretty fun to read. Following Katniss and Peeta along their pretty cool story that took place in a bad*** arena was not only fun to read, but hard to put down. Unfortunately, all the hipsters in the world who refuse to read this book because of the fact that is is way too mainstream for them, are really missing out. It has it's cheesy parts, which are usually taken back over by something cool or witty that Katniss says, or, well, people dying. I'd give this book a solid 8.5 out of 10, only due to its sometimes cheesy paragraphs and occasional lengthy, boring chapters, though don't not read this book because of that, because even in those boring chapters there will almost certainly be at least one cool part. If you haven't read this book yet, you might as well go buy a copy because it's inevitable that you're going to read it at some point and it really isn't all that bad. Although this may be a bit irrelevant, did you know that there are currently (including this one) 657 book reports on this website? Only 9 more until there are 666, pretty exciting for those satanic people!

Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083

Book By: Andrea White

Review By: Brendan Larsen

        Historical Survivor is a TV show where kids are sent back to reenact important journies, and events of the past (20th and 21st century). But here is the catch. It is real. In Historical Survivor: The Alamo; those are real bullets that are ringing out around the kids, and there is no medical team that will try to save them. They are all on their own. They have to depend on each other to stay alive. 

       This time, five kids have to go and reenact Robert F. Scott's journey to the South Pole. And it would be a stretch to say that the kid's journey is much easier than Scott's. There is another thing that you will want to know. There is an Editing Team. Two, actually. There is the Day Shift, who play by the rules, and a Night Shift, who, well... doesn't. And Steve has been appointed to Night Shift. Steve has seen the dark side of things, and knows that the Entertainment based government is really screwed up. After a while, things start to get ugly. The Secretary of Entertainment, a.k.a. "Hot Sauce," has taken things too far. One of the kids is dying, the supplies are running low, and they have no way of getting out. That is when Steve decides to interfere. 

        

        I really loved this book, and would suggest it to any one who liked the Hunger Games, which is, to say, basically everyone. I am pretty sure that the Hunger Games was based off of this book, and yes, Surviving Antarctica came out a good time before Hunger games. This book is an action book, with plenty of suspence, and political points. It can also go to show just how messed up our government can become.

Goose Girl

    The book I read was The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. This book is Fiction and takes place in medieval times. It teaches about to fight for the right to be yourself. The main character, Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Islee (Ani) is a princess and lives in a kingdom named Kildenree.

     As a child, Ani is taught about the 3 languages that some people speak. They are the gift of people-speaking, the gift of animal-speaking, and the gift of nature-speaking. These gifts, as it would be today, are thought of as unnatural and as a curse and not a gift. Ani is taught the gift of animal speaking as a child by her aunt. When her mother, the queen, discovers her gift, Ani is forbidden to ever go outside as to not talk to the animals. She lives a life of seclusion and of a longing to become the person her mother wants her to be. Ani waits until her day to become queen. However, a month after her father's death and her sixteenth birthday, she discovers she is to be betrothed to the first born prince of another kingdom half a year's journey away. Ani is shocked and realizes all her hard work to become queen was useless.

     Ani sets out on her journey to the kingdom where her betrothed awaits called Bayern. Along the way, Ani's lady in waiting, Selia, overthrows Ani and seeks to become queen of Bayern instead. Half of Ani's guard side's with Selia and Ani is forced to flee and find her own way to Bayern before Selia is betrothed instead of her. She finds her way to the city and spends her time trying to find a way to the king and convince him that she is the princess and not Selia. She finds work as a goose girl. The goose girl is the girl who tends the geese with the goose boy. Because of this opportunity, she is able to go on a wonderful journey and gain a new perspective.

     I loved this book. It was really great  and very entertaining. The book has many themes that express the author's opinion. First, is to always fight for what you believe. Ani's perspective changes during the book, so what she fights for is different as well. However, she never gave up and always fought. Also, the book tells you to discover who you truly are. Don't let others decide what you're fate will be. Work for what you think is best for you. Ani is told she is destined to be a lowly goose girl but she never gives up and becomes a queen. I agree with what the author believes. I agree with everything she says and I believe she has a great outlook on life.

     In a nutshell, this book was incredible. I give it a definite A. It brings up many great themes. I suggest that everyone read it.
   

The Hobbit By: J. R. R. Tolkien By: Andrew Williams

Bilbo Baggins, a simple Hobbit, never asked for adventure. It literally came knocking on his door, 13 dwarve and Gandalf the wizard show up to tea to hire Bilbo as a thief in their quest to reclaim a hoard of treasure. It's stashed far away and guarded by a fierce dragon, Smaug. Bilbo will have to cross the Misty Mountains, troll and goblin country, and the untamed wilds of Mirkwood, where straying from the path can be deadly. In exchange, he gets an even share of the treasure and quite a story to tell. One of the dwarves in Bilbo's parlour is Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain son of Thror, King under the Mountain. The dwarves of the Lonely Mountain were a race of highly-skilled craftsmen, workers of stone and metals, wealthy and strong. That is Thorin's rightful inheritance, but the kingdom was lost to the worm dragon Smaug. Now Smaug sleeps deep in the heart of the mountain on his huge heap of treasure. One of the most significant events in the book is when Bilbo finds a magic ring, deep in the heart of the Misty Mountains, after he has been captured by goblins and taken down, down into the deep tunnels and black halls of the Great Goblin. The ring is a pretty handy thing to find because it enables Bilbo to escape from his captors and later on it helps him to confront Smaug the dragon. The ring makes you invisible. In the end, the confluence of events, including his daring rescue of the Dwarves, from a horde of larger-than-life spiders in Mirkwood, teaches Bilbo that he does indeed have a strength within himself. Bilbo finally faces the worst of his fears, conquers them, and confronts the deadly dragon Smaug, deep in the the Lonely Mountain. The moment when Bilbo overcomes his fear is the moment in which he, finally and completely, transforms from who he was into who he was always meant to be. Bilbo achieves his full potential and, as a result, gains treasures far greater than the gold he carries away from the Lonely Mountain, and like all Hero Quest stories, Bilbo must go back to his home. He and Gandalf finally take their final steps toward The Shire, Gandalf says, “My dear Bilbo! Something has happened to you. You are not the Hobbit you once were.”

I Think I'm a Clone Now

     I read the book Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This book is definitely fiction and is wondeful. It is a modern day book with a twist that seems far fetched, but can be realistic. For all we know, this book could be true.

     In Double Identity, Bethany Cole is rised by the most overprotective and spoiling parents. She is never left alone and always has a watchful eye on her. Bethany never wants for anything and is raised with care and concern. However, by the age of 12, Bethany's parents go a little wacko. Her Dad is always serious and her mom spends the days balling away and is pretty much emotionally unstable. One day, her parents get especially weird and take an overnight trip to her grandparents she didn't even know she have. Her parents leave her there and her only connection to them is a phone call a day. The even weirder thing is, everyone keeps on mentioning another person named Elizabeth, and Bethany doesn't know who she is. You find out that it's Bethany's sister that was killed years before in a car accident. However, there's another piece of the puzzle. Sorry, but you're going to have to read the book to find out what happens.

     This book was really interesting and hard to put down. It was so great and this author has written so many great books before. I thought that the book brought about one main issue. It's that people are prejudged because of their relations, such as brothers or sisters. So say you go into middle school and your brother was a terrible student. Now, all teachers assume you're just as bad and you never even made a first impression. Another author who thinks like this is Betsy Love, who wrote a book called Identity. Her book is all about finding your identity and becoming who you actually are, instead of who you're told to be. I agree with both the author's opinion most definitely. Being judged because of other people isn't your fault, but you still have to deal with. Be yourself and you will earn other's respect.

In a nutshell, the book was really great. In all, I give it an A. It teaches you not to judge others beforehand, especially if your judging is based on an unreliable source. I would definitely recommend others to read it as well.

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You (By: Ally Carter)

I’d Tell You I Love You,
But Then I’d Have To Kill You

By: Ally Carter

“I’d Tell You I Love You, but Then I’d have To Kill You”, is an adventurous, fictional young adult book about how a less than ordinary teenage girl found impossible love, and the sacrifices she would have to make in the future.

To the average person The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Woman is a high class, rich kid school. To the outside world this all girl school has a high performance average, and is just a school for geniuses. Though what the average person doesn’t know is that it’s really a school for spies in training. They teach high end Martial Arts in GYM class., and give out extra credit for cracking special CIA database codes. So truly they’re not your usual school.

Cammie Morgan is one of the exceptional girls that go to The Gallagher Academy. She is just starting her sophomore year and is ready to go. Cammie and her two friends, Liz and Bex are ready to start their spy training. This will be the year where they start Cove Ops (covert operations) and they will see how true of a spy they really are. This is where their spy training really kicks in the they gain true field experience.

Cammie is a natural when it comes to hacking international databases, hand to hand martial arts, or even killing someone with a dry piece of spaghetti. But when it comes to love, nothing in all her years of training could have prepared her for this unexpected adventure.

As Cammie and her friends embark on this challenging adventure, she goes undercover for a special assignment where they are tested to their limits. They soon realize what dangers and responsibilities follow with being a field agent; not only to them, but to everyone around.

This book is really great, and fun. It’s so entertaining the way Ally Carter incorporated the thoughts of a teenage girl and a highly trained spy into the same person. Throughout the book you are always on edge and you never loose interest. This book is really a Romeo and Juliet tale, with forbidden love, and all the trouble it brings. Also it shows how worked up teenagers get over “love” and how much it changes them.

I think it would be intriguing to be a spy and know 14 languages when you’re only in 10th grade. I also wonder if Alley Carter's portrayal of a spy’s life is genuine, and if they really have to give up love for the job. 

Overall this book was just so great and fun. It was enjoyable to read a book that wasn’t predictable. The best part was that it is really hard to put down and it’s always amusing. I think a lot of people would enjoy it.

Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde

     Heir Apparent is easily one of the funniest books I've read. Enough said.
     Giannine Bellisario wants to be a normal 14 year old like everyone else, but it's hard when your parents are divorced and you live with your grandmother because your father is working all day. Consequently, Giannine doesn't know her father very well, but still gets gifts from him. It's Giannine's birthday, and her father has sent her a $50 certificate to Rasmussem Enterprises, a popular gaming center.
     Rasmussem Enterprises is popular partially due to their total immersion virtual reality games. Giannine uses her certificate to play one virtual reality game called Heir Apparent. Unfortunately, the CPOC, or Citizens to Protect Our Children, were waiting outside Rasmussem in a riot against the gaming center stating that the video games were satanic. What's more, they raided Rasmussem and attacked the equipment - while Giannine was hooked up. Now Giannine only has so many tries until she's dead - both in the game and real life. Will she make it to the end of the game or die first?
     As I said before, this is one of the funniest books I have read, which largely improved my rating for the book. Giannine was very sarcastic at times and an overall likeable character - despite the occasional swearing. She interacted with the other characters well, and seeing as the game story made her a king, she kind of had to. Her choices added to the story, and to the theme, which I interpreted as mostly to make good choices; they can affect you in the long run.
     As for the grade I'd give the book, it would probably be an A easily. I mentioned more benefits than downgrades to the book, which should show that the benefit far outweighs the downgrades. I hope everyone gets the chance to read this book - it is seriously awesome.

The Felllowship of the Ring By J.R.R Tolkien

        The book starts off with poem and it explains this ring that is  powerful ring. It is the ring of a mighty king. Well, in the past book Bilbo found the ring and has now given it to his adopted son Frodo.
        Our story starts off with Bilbo's 111th birthday. Bilbo is known for his great birthday parties because he is so rich. He suddenly vanishes during his birthday party and leaves on an adventure. He gives Frodo the ring and Gandalf tells Frodo the story of the ring. After, that Frodo doesn't want the ring any more and wants to destroy it. So, he embarks on a very long journey were he meets many trials from the dark forest to the barrow-downs to many other trials. Go read the book for all the other details.
         I found this book very suspenseful because you sit there and wonder are they ever going to get out of this mess. That is what makes a book entertaining in my mind. It is interesting because you would have to have a wonderful imagination in order to think of all of the creatures and such. This book affected me in a way that I wanted to be able to think of the things that J.R.R. Tolkien thought up. It is very amazing that he did that.
       This book is amazing if you want to have a good exciting read let this book be it. This book is filled with many exciting parts to it and there are more books to the series. Go out and get this book and then the next book. A+.

Being the second part of the Lord of The Rings Trilogy,The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien, is an amazing novel. It follows a great wizard, a ranger of the dunadain, a wood elf, a dwarf, and four brave hobbits. Two of which, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, continue their journey to Mordor to destroy the ring of power. The first half of the book follows the story of Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, and last but not least Pippin. Merry and Pippin get captured by the fierce Uru-khai and taken to the feared Fanghorn Forest. In the forest they meet Tree Beard, who is an ent, that ends up helping them defeat Sauruman the White. While Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli fight an epic battle at Helm’s Deep against the tens of thousands of Uru-khai. While they are busy battling Frodo and Sam inch closer to the Black Gates of Mordor. On their way they encounter a pitiful being called, Gollum. At first he is considered hostile by Frodo and Sam but then, Frodo begins to gain his trust, to his demise...
     This book is a great read and it also is very entertaining. If you’re into action, adventure, and fantasy then this is the book for you. It also is an amazing allegory (a story with a hidden meaning) to WWII and the Nazi party. The more you read of any of Tokien’s stories, the more you begin to realize how much of a genius he is. The book has also been made into a motion picture which is the most beautiful movie I have ever seen...all thanks to Peter Jackson of course. Overall, this book is well worth your while, although it is not for the faint-hearted!   

(Re done feb.) Pillage, By: Obert Skye, Review by: Andrew Williams

Pillage, A Fiction Y.A. Book by: Obert Skye is about fifteen-year-old Beck Phillips is sent to live with his weird uncle he had never met when his mother dies, where he learns that his family has a curse that allows him to make plants grow on command and dragon eggs hatch. Shortly after he arrives there, he begins to noticed weird things happening. Plants move, ivy defends him and salad hurts people for him. That and the strange warnings to not go behind the house, Beck discovers his cool ability to command plants and wakes up eight dragons, without knowing it. When Beck arrives at his uncle’s mansion, an air of mystery greets him. While the house has seven floors and hundreds of rooms, Beck along with his uncles and a minimal house staff are the only occupants. As time goes on Beck learns dark secrets about his lost family. Secrets that include buried basements, forbidden gardens, an ancient book of weird family history, and most surprising of all dragons! On his long train ride, he meets Kate, who isn’t very friendly. She is his age, and is headed to Kingsplot too.

Beck wakes up from a 12 hour rest, and notices that they are the only ones left on the train. Beck thinks it’s strange, but Kate isn’t too worried about it. When he arrives, Beck meets Thomas, who drives him to his new house. Seven floors, with stables, and a huge garden. Right away, Beck is told to stay away from certain places for his own safety. Beck meets Milo who asks many questions about the house, mostly about the basement. But, there is no basement. And I thought this was like the rising action, the book started off slow but I felt after this happened this story was going somewhere. At school there are some boys who picked on Beck and Milo. Milo is new to Callowbrow, too. However, Beck can do some weird tricks with plants that makes his life easier. But, what happens with the secret is really exciting and page turning, I just kept on reading and couldn’t stop.

I really enjoyed this book. Full of exciting twists and surprises! I liked the history of Beck’s family a long the way too. A strange, but interesting history full of plants, stones, and pillaging!!

                

To Kill a Mockingbird, By: Harper Lee (Fiction)

To Kill a Mockingbird

Written by: Harper Lee

               

             "Kill all the Blue Jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird." The title, "To Kill a Mockingbird", is a metaphor representing the slaying of innocence. Harper Lee's story represents how truly horrible it is to kill something as innocent and beautiful as a mockingbird. It comes in so many different forms. In this case, someone’s dignity, an innocent man being killed, or the shattering of a child's innocence. 

Jem and Scout Finch, live with their father in Maycomb, Alabama. Their story starts off in the summertime, right after school gets out. While playing in their oversized yard, they meet Charles Baker Harris, or as they call him, Dill. These three friends like to make up crazy plans, leading to intriguing adventures and sometimes landing them in big trouble. 

They live by a creepy, broken down house owned by Arthur Radley, sometime known as Boo. Jem, Sout and Dill have never seen Boo so they spend much of their time trying to convince him to come outside just to see if he's real. 

Their summertime fun ends when their father, Atticus, gets a case, where he has to defend Tom Robinson, an African American.  Throughout this case they learn how people in their town truly are and how some people who seem like good hearted people, and not self-centered or dangerous, are really the complete opposite. Who actually is the bad guy? Well soon Jem and Scout will find out and their troubles won’t seem as big, and they really learn what it means to killing a mockingbird. While I wouldn't call this an action packed thriller, it did have some adventure here and there. Each event added to plot and slowly built up to the climax of the story where Mr. Ewells tries to kill Jem and Scout. 

I really thought that Harper Lee had a really great point on trying to make it so meaningful when someone tries to commit a sin as tragic as killing something so virtuous. Also while something so beautiful dies, Lee shows what real pain it inflicts on someone, while once again using the symbol or an allusion of a mockingbird. This book was great and wonderful, but I will warn you it does end vague, but it does leave a little mystery that you can make up your own idea of what comes next. Really this may sound cheesy but it makes you see things from a different perspective. Truly it can make you see people 

In closing I think it's a great idea to read this book. Though a piece of advice is, it does sometimes drag. So if you’re the type of person who enjoys excitement at every part or war, this book is probably not for you. Really this book is awesome and so great, that I think most people would like it. The outcome is extremely great and will catch you by surprise. It's a very informative book that I think anybody should read, because it's truly to me one of a kind and is an A in my book.