Once Upon A Marigold

       Well to begin with, I wasn't too big of a fan of this book. I'm not sure why because I normally really like fairy-tales. In my opinion, I felt like this book took too long  to get to the climax. Others may disagree, but that's how I felt this book went. It was an OK book, but not one that I would re-read in the near future. This book was written by: Jean Ferris, she truly is a great author! She did a very nice job at creating a different kind of fairy-tale. 

       This fairy-tale was about a boy named Christian. When Christian was little, he went and hid in the forest until his family stopped searching for him. Christian was a prince and hated the way he had to act in his castle and how there were so many rules. One day he came across a troll named Ed. Ed lived in the forest in a cave. When Christian met him, he told Ed that he wanted to live with him, and that if he didn't let him, then he would go back to his castle and tell everybody that Ed kidnapped him! So as the years went on and Christian and Ed lived in the forest as a family, Ed started watching another castle through his telescope. He saw 4 beautiful princesses and a queen and a king. He watched them while they grew up and became fine young women! Then, Christian started p-mailing one princess named Marigold. After a while Christian and Ed decided it be best that Christian should live on his own and leave the cave. So, Christian went and got a job at the castle, where he could be closer to Marigold...Will they ever truly meet each other? Will everything turn out right and go as planned?
       Because I didn't like this book that much, I don't think that it's going to be a memorable one for me. Although, the story did have a good moral. I think that the book was trying to tell us that no matter if you are a "prince" or a "princess" or if you have everything, or nothing. You are just as capable of living your dream as any other person in the world. Whether they are rich, poor, happy, sad, loving, rude, it doesn't matter. just shoot for the stars and odds are, you'll be able to pick one for yourself at some point. I would give this book a B-.

Heaven is for Real By: Todd Burpo Review By: Andrew Williams

Heaven Is for Real is the true story of Colton, the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor. His stomach begins to hurt, he goes to the doctor and it is misdiagnosed as the flu. As his symptoms get worse they find out his appendix has burst and it has been flowing poison into his body for weeks now. While operating on it he goes unconscious and enters heaven. He survived and told the story about being able to see the doctor operating on him and his dad praying by his bedside. He also tells amazing stories about Angels and how they all had wings, his mom then asks if he had wings. He said yeah, but they were small and then there was Jesus who didn’t have wings and just floated up and down. His mom then remembers in the bible when it said almost exactly that. Colton said he met his miscarried sister, that no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born. He told them things that he would have had no idea about, if he didn’t meet them in heaven.

        As there is really not much more I should tell you, so you can find out for yourself. I can just flat out say that this is an amazing book that will make the non-believers wonder and thrill the ones who do believe in heaven. This book will keep you thinking and on the edge of your seat wondering how in the…? You will sit there thinking the whole time about Colton and I really enjoy a book that keeps me thinking. I give this book five thumbs up. I suggest that everyone read this no matter who you are, or how old you are, or what you believe in, this is a book for everyone who wants to be astonished.

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.

...Her plans to Maximize fun, avoid distaster, and (possibly) save the world!!

    BEST BOOK EVER!! This book is written by: Katherine Hannigan. She is such an awesome children's author! She is really good at bringing real life situations that seem to be overlooked, to the readers realization. This book is a fictional and a realistic one. The main purpose of this book is to have you take a step back and really come to realize that terrible things really do happen in life and it can effect you in many ways.
     Alright, lets get to the good stuff! So this book is from a 1st person point-of-view. It follows the life of a girl named Ida B Applewood who claims that "There is never enough time for fun(pg 3)." Ida would be in the fourth grade, but she is home-schooled. Ida is home-schooled because she tried going to school in kindergarten and it just wasn't working for her, so her parents decided to try home-schooling. Ida has many "friends," her backyard is an orchard and so there are many trees and a stream that goes though it. So she talks to the trees, all of them have names, the stream even has a name. Those are her friends. She claims that they talk back and that if you're quiet you can feel them speak to you. Well a turn of events is making a change of plans, Ida's mom gets cancer and Ida has to start going back to school. Ida HATES school. So she decides that she is going to have a "bad" heart and completely rebel and shove everybody out of her life. Family, "friends", and all the people that she will come into contact with at school. Her policy is no friends, classmates, parents, or teachers. The question is, will she be able to pull out of this awful trance that she has gotten herself into? Will she continue to be mean and have a sad depressing life? Well that is up to you to go pick this amazing 246 page book with 32 chapters inside and read what this 4th grade girl has to go through.
     This book was definitely one that I will never put in the attic! It really helped me to really try and look out and try to help people that look like they are having a bad day, because you never know what that person is going through and they might just need someone consistent to check on them everyday. Maybe they don't have support at home, or they just need some lifting up. This book was definitely one that was a fun read and very exciting. It was exciting and fun because of the way Ida talks and just the funny things that she says and the way she thinks. I will give this book a big fat A+!

The Lightning Thief by: Rick Riordan

This fascinating book "The Lightning Thief" is a great fiction/Greek Mythology/fantasy type of book. Rick Riordan (the author) in my opinion is one of the best authors ever. This book is is so intriguing and entertaining.

Oh no! Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen! Who would steal it??? Of course they would choose the poor innocent guy who doesn't know the first thing about Greek Mythology... Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon (Poseidon is the god of the sea and the brother of Zeus). Percy Jackson is just a regular guy, besides the fact that he is a delinquent, until the day he is told that he is the son of Poseidon, Zeus including all of Mount Olympus thinks he stole Zeus' master lightning bolt, and that he has ten days to bring it back and find out who did it. Pretty tough for a guy who probably didn't believe what they were saying at first. Anyway, he and his best friend Grover (which he met at a regular school and Percy just found out that he is a saytr) get sent to a place called "Camp Half-Blood" to train for the mission ahead. So to shorten things up he leaves and goes on this crazy adventure that includes chopping of Medusa's head, eating burgers with Ares, and fighting Hades. Its not looking good for him and his friends but Percy's life pretty much depends on finding this lightning bolt. Can they find out who actually stole Zeus' bolt? Can they do it in ten days?

This is literally one of the best books I have ever read. It kept me up all night reading and reading and reading. It was so good. I don't think I would've changed anything in that book although you might want to study up on your Greek Mythology because it gets really hard to remember all of the names of the gods and goddesses. I really like how the author put this in modern day times instead of the 70s or 80s or something like that. I think that it was a great idea and it couldn't of been any better than it was. A+

Chameleon

     Chameleon by Cidney Swanson was a fabulous book! It is a great choice if you are looking for a fictional book. This book wasn't as good as the first but it still was pretty good. For this book to make sense to you, you must read the first book, Rippler. If you would like to read the book review for Rippler click here.
   

     15 year old Samantha Ruiz has a special gene allowing her to become invisible when she wants to. Samantha and her friends, Will and Gwyn are all traveling to France for their french class field trip. While they are there, they meet up with their friend, Sir Walter. He knows a lot about the special gene allowing them to disappear. They have been contacting him through letters for quite some time.

     Everything is going perfectly fine until Samantha gets kidnapped and taken underground by someone who can also turn invisible, or "ripple," as they call it in the book. She has to fight back and try to get out of the underground cave. The person that tried to kidnap her works for Helga. Helga and Samantha met once in the previous book. Helga killed Sam's mother and now wants to kill Samantha because she can "ripple."

     This book was really good but it also had its pros and cons. First of all I thought that in the suspenseful scenes in the book,the plot moved way too quickly. I had no idea what was going on at times because the author was moving so fast. However, I loved that she introduced new characters! The newest character always keeps you wondering. The book also had the typical bad guy. It was so predictable what was going to happen next with the villain.

   
    Overall I thought this book was pretty great! It could have used a few minor changes but that is okay. I have even started reading the third and final book of the series, Unfurl!

Specials by Scott Westerfield

First of all, I must inform you that this book is the third one in a series of four by Scott Westerfield, and you probably shouldn't read this book if you haven't read the first two.
The story starts out pretty much like the rest of them, smack-dab in the middle of an event that Tally Youngblood, the main protagonist, is diving into. You start out sort of blind, but everything is explained as the book progresses. 
Basically, this clique's members were Shay's Cutters and anyone else special enough to fight off the brain lesions on their own. Dr. Cable engineered them specifically to find and put a stop the New Smoke, at any cost. Besides the normal special abilities like strength and reflexes, they were built for the wild. Judging by the other books and Tally's actions, they probably have new brain lesions, which cause heightened anger and other over-reactants. 
In the beginning, some of their fellow Cutters are kidnapped and that provides fuel to the fire that yearns for revenge inside both Tally and Shay. Tally causes some trouble with Shay and there are some tense situations between them, because Tally's main goal is to help her boyfriend Zane, while Shay wants to use him to find the New Smoke.
All eventually get to the New Smoke, and are surprised when they find out they hadn't planned for what the New Smoke had been up to. This triggers a series of events that include imprisonment (multiple times), and a new cure made just for specials.
I gave this book a B, because other than some surprising twists and turns, the book is pretty repetitive and predictable. The few action-packed scenes didn't quench my thirst I gained from the previous books. It took me the longest time to get into it, and by that time it was over.
I did pick up on a few themes in this book. One was how damaging plastic surgery could be. Of course, I'm sure the surgeons today don't put "bubblehead" lesions in your brain (well, as far as I know). But I meant how dangerous being a special made the cutters, and even without lesions, plastic surgery can't be doing such a favor for your mindset of yourself. Another was how often our generations are cutting themselves to feel something, and how misleading it can be. 
I only recommend this book if you really liked the previous books, because I wanted to quit reading that series right then and there.

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle

I probably should begin by saying that this book is completely science fiction and fantasy. The story includes unbelievable creatures, crystal balls, and a giant evil brain. It also includes ideas from science, like tessering, which I will explain later. Some of you who aren’t exactly fantasy readers may see this and think, “Wow, all the stuff I hate in books, all in one story! No way am I reading this book.” Even though it has some crazy stuff added to the story, give it a chance. Many people have been known to dislike stories like that have so much fantasy and sci-fi, but end up really liking the story.

This book begins with a girl named Meg Murry. She is a high-school aged girl who is an outcast at school, yet she is very bright. Her five-year-old brother, Charles Wallace, is also extremely smart. In the middle of a stormy night, the Murry family is visited by a strange and eccentric lady who calls herself Mrs. Whatsit. She startles Meg’s mother by telling her that tesseracts exist. A tesseract is a “wrinkle” in time and space. It is through this wrinkle that Meg and her companions will travel through the fifth dimension in search of Meg’s father, who has been missing for 2 years.

The next day, Meg and Charles go to the “haunted cabin” in which Mrs. Whatsit lives. On the way there, they run into Calvin O’Keefe, a tall, red-headed boy who is quite popular at Meg’s school. The three kids learn from Mrs. Whatsit and her friends, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which that a great and terrible evil called the Dark Thing is threatening the universe. It takes the form of a giant black cloud and engulfs stars around it. It can also take over planets. One of these planets is Camazotz, the planet that Meg’s scientist father is trapped on.

Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin are taken on a frightening journey to save Mr. Murry from the Dark Thing on Camazotz. The three Mrs. W’s tesser them from planet to planet, even taking an accidental stop on a two-dimensional planet in the process. The three children learn more about themselves and accomplish more than any of them ever thought possible.

This is a great book for middle school aged students. Madeleine L'Engle really does a lot of stuff right in this book, but something that I think she does exceptionally well is how she sends messages and gets themes across to her readers. Just by the nature of the story, she gives hope to any average kid that they can accomplish great things, and that everybody has the potential to be great. L’Engle also really emphasizes the importance of family and friendship. All throughout the book the three main characters are helping each other and pulling each other up. It shows that if they didn’t have each other to rely on, none of it would be possible. I enjoyed this book very much, from the themes of the book, to the characters, and to the plotline, this was a great read for me. This book gets a well-deserved A!

The Hunger Games

First of all, let me just say, Suzanne Collins has created a masterpiece. I just barely read this book, and it took me three days. I would have to argue a little bit about actual story itself. Meaning I don't see why you would write a book about putting a bunch of teenagers in a big arena, and watching them kill each other. However, I must say that even with that problem, I was addicted to this book. So I'm sure most of you have read this book; but if you haven't, read this review!

As usual, the book starts out by giving you background information, and then slowly gets more exciting until you're biting your fingernails, and wishing you could read twice as fast. Katniss Everdeen lives in district twelve in the futuristic country of Panem. The capitol of the Panem chooses two children between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in a fight to the death in a chosen arena. This is known as the Hunger Games. After Katniss's innocent little sister is chosen to be in the Hunger Games, Katniss has no choice but to volunteer to take her place.

She then is transported to the Capitol, where they prep her for the games. Then, they are all flown to the arena. The Hunger Games then begin. Now, I'm going to stop there, because if I tell anymore about the story, I'll probably get too excited and give it away. So if you want to find out how it turns out, read the book. Actually, read the book anyway, you will be glad you did. You'll most likely find it to end unexpectedly, and be wondering if the story has been told, or if it is just beginning.

As expected, the author's style was very unique; however, it seemed to make the story much more exciting. For example, she told the story in first person, but also in the present tense. I have never seen that before, but found it to be very interesting because she is telling the story as she goes, so anything could happen at any given time. Also, there is the theme which she cleverly tied into the story. I think that she was trying to show everybody how much we are under the control and power of the government, and that we need to speak out and stand up for ourselves. And, obviously, it teaches you to never give up, which is a little bit too common in books, I think. However, it did teach me a lot about life and how to deal with certain situations.

To wrap it up, I'll say once again that although the point of the story is a bit disturbing, the story's suspense, along with the author's characterization, style, and details definitely made the story one of the best I've ever read. With that said, I'd recommend it to anyone out there. However, just be careful, because there are some pretty surprisingly violent parts in it. But ultimately, the story just wouldn't be the same without them. And yes, I give it two thumbs up and an A+.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

First of all, this historical fiction book is really slow. At least at the beginning. It isn't neccessarily a hard book to read it is just slow. Anyway, Leisel Meminger is a nine year old girl who has been through a LOT in her life. Just so you know this takes place during World War II in Germany 1939. Anyway, Her real mom got sent to a concentration camp so she had to send Liesel and her brother she has to send them to Hans and Rosa Hubermann. On the way her brother dies. It didn't really say how he died because "Death" was the narrator in that part. I will explain that later. So before they actually get there they have to obviously go bury him and as the two people are digging a book falls out of one of their pockets. She picks up The Grave Diggers Handbook and takes it... BUT she doesn't exactly know how to read and she is still scarred because her brother died right in front of her eyes. I couldn't imagine what that would be like. So she goes to the Hubermanns and every night she has a nightmare about her brother and every night Hans goes into her room and comforts her. Later Hans discovers the book and decides to teach her how to read. Then she starts to steal more books out of curiosity. Also Hitler is obviously their leader and so later on in the book they let a Jew stay in their basement... That was not a smart thing to do at that time if you know what I mean. It is pretty much just about this girls life during World War II...

I don't know about you but I LOVE learning about World War II and how it was like to live there. Surprisingly I learned some new stuff while reading this book. It was so weird how the could change people view of things that were bad so easily. I also think it was different than any other book I have read because "Death" was the narrator. It was a very interesting way to write a book.

In the back of the book somebody wrote to Mark Zusak and the person asked "How did you decide to make Death the narrator of the book?" and Mark Zusak replied, "With great difficulty! I thought, "Here's a book set during war. Everyone says war and death are best friends." Death is ever-present during war, so here was the perfect choice to narrate The Book Thief. At first, though, Death was too mean. He was supercilious, and enjoying his work too much. He'd say extremely creepy things and delight in all the souls he was picking up... and the book wasn't working. So I went to a first-person narration , a simple third-person narration... and six months later I came back to Death-- but this time , Death was to be exhausted from his eternal existence and his job. He was to be afraid of humans-- because, after all, he was there to see the obliteration we've perpetrated on each other throughout the ages--and he would now be telling this story to prove to himself that humans are actually worth it." I just thought that was a really cool idea.

Just so you know it is slow at the beggining but it does get a LOT better as the book goes on. If you don't like a sad ending this isn't really the book for you. I'm sorry but I didn't write the book I wish that he wouldn't have made the ending so sad. It is just almost unfair. Overall, it is a pretty good read. B+

Matched by Ally Condie

Cassia Reyes lives on Mapletree Borough in the Oria Province in the Society. She lives with her little brother Bram, and her mother and father. She spends free-rec hours with her best friends Xander and Em. To Cassia, life is perfect, life is normal, life is as it should be, and there is no questioning it. Everything the people do in the Society is monitored by officials, and anything not accepted or approved from the previous society is burned. All information is recorded, from your dreams to what trash you throw into the incinerator. There are no secrets from the Society.

Cassia never questions this, or considers how much control the Society has over her. Why should she? She's been granted a perfect life, will be able to fall in love with her match like her parents did, raise a family, and die on her eightieth birthday, the optimum age to die according to the statistics. But around her Grandfather's 80th birthday, he gives her something that is guaranteed to turn her world upside down, with the help of a particular boy she hardly ever talked to.

The match banquet is Cassia's special night to shine, and find out who was determined to be her match for life, the one that fit her personality and needs absolutely perfectly. When that turns out to be Xander, Cassia feels like the luckiest girl in the world, to be able to be matched with someone in her Province is a huge advantage. They can talk anytime, and don't have to wait for pre-arranged excursions.

Cassia is beyond happy, and even though she knows so much about Xander, she still takes out the microcard with his information on it and puts it in the port (kind of like a TV/video call station in their house) to read about him anyway. But instead of Xander's face on the screen, she sees a flash of someone else, someone who shouldn't be in the system at all; Ky Markham.

Ky Markham is an Aberration from the Outer Provinces, which are the untamed places said to be vast and harsh and full of people suffering. Ky's parents died when he was young, and he was sent to live with Patrick and Aida Markham, his aunt and uncle who lost their own son to an Anomaly, which is like a murderer to us today.

Cassia doesn't understand why Ky's face appeared on the screen when he isn't eligible to be matched, but when and Official comes and talks to her, she tells her it was all a big mistake and that she shouldn't worry; the Society has it all under control.

After that, Cassia goes to visit her grandfather, and he persuades her to sign up for hiking, which is a summer leisure activity. He puts something in a secret compartment of the artifact he gave her, which was a golden compact, and tells her to only look at it when she is alone. She eventually takes it out when hiking, and finds the words of an ancient poem on it, and not one she recognizes of the 100 the Society decided to keep:

"Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words have forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night."

(-Dylan Thomas)

Cassia finds that this relates to her in many ways, some she doesn't even know yet, but use this advice throughout the book; "Do not go gentle"

Ky Markham signed up for hiking too, and when Cassia sneaks off to read the poem, he sees her.

Now they both have to keep a very big secret, and before they know it, they start falling into a forbidden love. He teaches her how to write, and gives her pieces of his story that she has to burn after reading, just like she had to do with the poem, to keep the Officials from seeing it. Then Ky and Cassia are assigned hiking partners, and they commit a heinous crime that an Official warned her about; kissing someone else when assigned to a match.

Things spiral down and take a couple turns for the worst, and Cassia makes assumptions and gathers new opinions, which is a new experience for her. Her family and even Xander end up showing support and promise to break the law to help Cassia on her most difficult journey yet, which I guess will be described in the next book in the series, Crossed.

I loved this book so much, but still have some questions. How did the previous society fall? Was it taken over by this society, or did certain things become the downfall of it? Is that how this society found ideas to keep information hidden, and why it had such tight control yet the people were oblivious? I think that shows sheer genius. Not necessarily in good ways, but the fact that a whole society can keep secrets and narrow down information and isolate people from knowledge without them knowing takes a lot of brain power.

I think a theme that this book shows is how much we use information, and how much we are aware or not aware of, and we can learn to open our eyes more from it. It really helped me to appreciate how lucky our nation is, to be able to think freely and be creative and say what we think, and even how we know how to write and know so many songs and poems. I tried putting myself in that situation, and if I didn't know what I was missing, I would definitely ended up like Cassia, and just followed along because you have such faith in a Society that has secret problems, which makes it more of a dystopia.

Another theme could be to question authority. Even though they have superiority over us, it doesn't necessarily mean that they know more or less than us. You can't expect the president to be a genius about everything. Kind of like parents. Your parents have heard opinions from other places and they may not be reliable, and even if they think they know a lot about something, they really don't. Plus, humans naturally believe what they want to believe, so a lot of information is biased.

This book helped me realize these things and many others, and really opened my eyes to how fortunate we are to live in a great country like the U. S. A. Although the subject of forbidden love is used a lot in novels, I didn't get a sense of repition. I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone within earshot.

The Red Pyramid By Rick Riordan

First things first, Rick Riordan is the author of the Percy Jackson series BUT this book has nothing to do with that series at all. Instead of ancient greek mythology this is egyptian mythology. Also if you aren't really familiar with egyptian mythology you might want to study up on it or you might get bored or confused with this book. It explains most things but you would be able to understan it sooo much better if you knew your egyptian mythology. It is also kind of cool how the author wrote it. Two people tell the story about themselves and switch off but start from where the other person ended.

Ok so the two main characters in this book are Carter and Sadie Kane (brother and sister). Carter is 14 and lives and travels the world with his dad. His dad is a brilliant egyptologist and his job requires him to travel the world. Their mom died when he was only eight years old and he and so they were separated. Carter went to live with his dad while Sadie, who is 12 unfortunately had to live with their grandparents in London. Sadie and Carter are only allowed to, see each other twice a year. Once in the Summer and once in the Winter. So as the winter day arrives their father takes them both to a museum in London and doesn't let them know why they are going there (usually they do some super cool thing because they only have one day together). Anyway so they arrive at the museum and their dad is acting like somebody is following them. So they get in the museum and their dad goes and takes the Rosetta Stone (a stone that is supposed to be like the stone of languages). Carter and Sadie are very surprised and don't know why their dad just took the Rosetta Stone from the display case. Just imagine if your dad did that. So anyway all of the sudden he starts to summon some egyptian gods which is very forbidden within the people who know egyptian mythology is "true". Then all of a sudden one god appears and puts their dad in a coffin (he isn't dead by the way) and pulls him underneath the ground with himself.

Carter and Sadie don't know what just happened because they tried to stop him but were knocked out. As they wake up they find themselves in the museum office and are eventually taken to Sadie's house. They really think their dad is dead and that is the closest family member they had. They will do anything and I really mean anything to get him back...

I really thought this book was pretty good. It is kind of cool to imagine Egyptian mythology is real. It also would be very weird to have it be real. Also this is one of those books that really follow the Heroes Journey. I noticed that it was the heroes journey right after I read the second page. I still think it was an ok book. It was pretty slow and confusing in the first five to ten chapters. I don't think this is a "must read" but I do think it is a "should" read. Also I wish they changed they beggining because I wish Rick Riordan wouldn't have let the Dad "disappear" in the beggining because the kids didn't know what was going on and they didn't know who their dad really was. It could've been a lot better of a book. B+

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

This story takes place in the early 1900's-1930's under the roofs of Paris. It has been made into a 3D movie, and is already released to the public.

Hugo Cabret lives in a busy train station mending and tending to the 27 clocks inside. Having to steal from vendors and people everyday, he has to keep his presence a secret from the station inspector. He didn't always live this way though, keeping his identity hidden and dashing through the inside walls of the station, spying on people behind the faces of the clocks. I must tell you his past before continuing with his future.

Hugo's father worked at a local museum part-time. One night, he came home telling details of a fascinating machine, which he calls an automaton. Automatons are self-operating machines made of clockwork and does a series of activities like a robot would, like playing music or writing. An automaton was usually used by magicians to help out their acts during this time. His father would stay at the museum late at night to work on it. His father said that the automaton would probably write a message, and Hugo couldn't wait to find out what it was. But a fire started one night, and Hugo's father and the automaton were inside. All that Hugo had as a remembrance of his father and the automaton was a notebook full of his father's sketches of the automaton.

Hugo's uncle took him in, and he worked and lived at the train station as clock-keeper. He taught Hugo how to steal food and money and how to fix the clocks, which was quite an accomplishment, since he was drunk most of the time. One day, his uncle didn't come back. After a few days, he snuck out to the remains of the museum and finds the automaton, in horrible dis-repair. He takes it back to their little apartment and tries fixing it up with the help of the sketches in the notebook.

Three months passed, and Hugo hasn't heard from his uncle. He stole toys from an old man's shop in the station for parts for the automaton. But the old man caught him, and took the notebook away, threatening to burn it. The contents of the notebook surprised the old man, Hugo could hear the emotions of fear and recognition cutting in his words.

But young Hugo didn't give up. He kept the clocks running, tried to get the notebook back with the help of a girl his age named Isabelle, and kept building the automaton. Finding he didn't need the book's help much even once he got it back, he finished the automaton, and it drew a picture of the moon with a rocket in it's "eye", the scene of a movie Hugo's father described seeing to him.

Film, magic, curiosity, and sneaking, all fit together perfectly to play out the plot and pictures show the story unfolding in ways never done before. The pictures made it feel like you were really there with Hugo experiencing these things where words fail to describe. Some of you might feel that the pictures must mean that its childlike or confusing, but it makes the tapestry of the story even richer and more thickly woven than you might think. You will see how film took its transformation from everyday life to those of the most ridiculous dreams, all from the start of one man who plays a surprising role in the book. You learn a little bit of history in a way you wouldn't have expected.

The things I liked best were how Hugo seemed to make clockwork relate to everyday life, and the interesting film history disguised as a unique adventure. When Hugo talked about the world being one big machine, and how every machine has a specific part for a specific reason to make the machine run, and then related it to people, I marveled at how the connection fit together. Like the gears going in my head fitting together, I thought about what my purpose could be, what I wanted to be a part of in this world, and found a deeper meaning to the book that Brian Selznick so cleverly meant.

After reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret, I started wondering how certain things work, and how amazing certain events truly are. I would recommend it to everyone, whatever your age. This book sparks imagination and fascination with the wonders in the world, and starts you on your adventure to find where your cog fits in this big clock of a planet.

http://youtu.be/qjSNBP4P9RU

Was the Schwa Here?

The Schwa Was Here, by Neal Shusterman was a great book. I suggest it to anyone that knows how to read. Also, for those of you who don't know what the heck a schwa is, I'll tell you (it's also on the front page of the book). The faint vowel sound in many unstressed syllables in the English language.Yay! This book is about a vowel sound. NOT!

The whole schwa thing is more symbolic. Anyway, in this book, an eighth grade :-) boy named Anthony (Antsy) Bonnano meets an invisible (kinda) kid named The Schwa. Now, he's not really invisible, its just that no one remembers him.For example, he always wears clothes that match what's behind him, his eyes match the background, okay, maybe he is invisible! So the whole time in this book crazy things are going on, mannequins being thrown in front of trains, Antsy dating a blind girl, riding in a helicopter.

The Schwa is really scared of completely disappearing, like his mom, so he keeps doing crazy things to get attention. Antsy and his friends call the Schwa's invisibility The Schwa Effect. They do quite a few tests to well, test it. In one he goes into a bathroom dressed as a cat with a sombrero singing The Star Spangled Banner as obnoxiously as he can. Antsy asks people if they noticed anything in there and they say yes. They think the plan has failed, until they ask people what he was wearing. "uhh... something furry?" or, "Possibly a hat of some sort." He really is invisible.

Then Antsy and the Schwa have girl trouble, get mad, unite, visit a butcher. It really jumps around a lot.This book talks a lot about modern issues, like disabilities awareness, old people awareness, regular awareness of people, the list goes on and on. The main idea was to make you pay attention to everyone, be nice, and don't put a giant billboard with your face on the freeway.

I really agree with what the author is saying here. Oh, speaking of that, I actually met the author! H said it was really fun to write this book. This is how he signed my book. " Stay Visible!". I thought that was great. I really loved this book and I think that the only people that shouldn't read it are people who own a walrus farm! A+!

Fablehaven Keys to the Demon Prison by Brandon Mull

This wonderful action-packed fiction book (Fablehaven Keys to the Demon Prison by Brandon Mull) is very exciting. The book is the final book in the Fablehaven series. Kendra and Seth Sorenson (the main characters) have once again gone to their grandparents house (Fablehaven) for the summer. Every summer for the past 5 years they have gone to Fablehaven. They had always hated going there before they realized that their grandparents property was enchanted. Through powerful milk from a magic cow they can see things that they couldn't with the human eye. They can see fairies, centaurs, saytrs, nymphs, demons, and many other mystical creatures. Each of the seven sanctuaries around the world contains an artifact that is nearly impossible to get to. You have to go through these trials and defeat deadly dragons, horrifying demons, terrible lions, ferocious tigers, and many more things to recieve the beloved artifact.

The artifacts can do many amazing things. For example one is pretty much sand in an hourglass that can make you (once poured) stay the same age/be immortal forever. There are seven artifacts total. All of them combined make the key to open the horrible demon prison which holds the worlds most powerful demon ever, Zzyxx. With him you would easily take over the whole world. The Sphinx (the bad guy) wants to open dreaded Demon Prison so he can take over the world. So what does he have to do? He has to collect all seven artifacts to open the prison and conquer the world. Thats why he's the bad guy. Kendra, Seth, and their grandparents will not let him take over the world without a fight. In the last book the Sphinx decided to kidnap Kendra and Seth's parents so that he could trade the parents for artifacts. But giving him the artifact makes him that much closer to conquering the world.

So in this book the Sphinx has five of the seven artifacts and the Sorensons have the other two. Seth (while trying to retrieve one of the lost artifacts) was kidnapped by the Sphinx and his team of people who went out to get the same artifact that they were going for. The Sorensons sent out a rescue team to retrieve Seth and his parents. They failed and are now in huge trouble and desperately need some sort of miracle so the Sphinx will not rule the world. Luckily Seth with the help of a unicorn cell mate escapes and steals the artifact that makes you teleport and the one that heals you/ immortalizes you. He finds his way back to Fablehaven and uses the healing artifact to help heal his demon friend Graulas (who was very sick). He had trusted Graulas but Graulas betrayed him and killed one of his friends. Seth is desperate and needs help. While Seth was escaping, Kendra was imprisoned. Kendra still didn't know if Seth was alive or not. She hadn't seen him since they sent out to retrieve the artifact at Obsidian Waste. Anyway Kendra meets the unicorn named Bracken (the same one that Seth met) and figures out Seth has escaped and is still alive. Bracken has not been outside of the prison for over a life time and can't wait until they escape. So he set up a plan to escape. They escape almost the same way Seth did, and found Seth. Even with Seth and Kendra out of the prison, the Sphinx is almost set to unleash the Zzyxx. Almost all hope is lost. The world is coming to an end. The time has come for Kendra and Seth to save the world...

I really just love how the author wrote this. The suspense after almost every chapter was almost too hard to bare. I stayed up a couple nights until almost 12:00 a.m. reading this book! I couldn't have wrote the book better myself. Except for maybe the ending but I can't tell you much about that because it would give the end of the book away. I really wish that his parents wouldn't have been taken away in the first place because they didn't have a clue about the whole "Fablehaven" thing in the first place. It didn't really make sense and didn't have much to do with the book in the first place. Brandon Mull makes it feel like you are really there. He also makes you relate with the characters feelings and actions. He has done that throughout the series. Also most books that talk about saving the world are kind of cheesy and unrealistic. Sorry but that doesn't happen in this book. It seems like it could be real. I really am not just saying that to make the book look better than the rest because it really isn't cheesy. I don't think any of you would know of a book where the parents were kidnapped.


I loved this book and really suggest you all read the Fablehaven series including this book. By the way you probably want to read the first four books before this one or it will not make sense at all! I think this is really one of the best books I have ever read. A

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

You say your life is hard or maybe boring with going to school every day, the same things over and over again. Well that's just the way Percy Jackson wishes his life was. Instead, his life is filled with danger around every corner, dyslexia and strange events that never seem to favor him.

This is a very interesting book and taught me a lot about Greek mythology. I think Rick Riordan did an excellent job with developing the characters and plot .This is a great book for all ages; very clean and exciting. It is a fiction, fantasy- adventure book tying in a lot of Greek Mythology.

Percy Jackson is twelve years old and already, his life is at risk. He just barley escaped a close encounter with his Math teacher Mrs. Dodds. Then his best friend, Grover, along with the whole school denies even knowing a Mrs. Dodds. Something very fishy was going on. Then while he was on vacation, he was attacked by the Minotaur and barely escaped to some sort of special camp. Percy wanted some answers. That's when his mom confessed. Percy then finds out that the Greek world that he has been learning about from his favorite teacher, Mr. Brunner, is real. It just so happens that his best friend Grover, along with Mr. Brunner, are both satyrs sent to protect him because he is the son of Poseidon!!! Not only that, but the reason he is being attacked is because he is the suspected thief of Zeus' lightning bolt (hence the Lightning Thief), and Hades' helm of darkness (both Gods' symbols of power)! Now, to save his own life, Percy has to go on a quest, the first half-blood (child of a god) to be granted one in years. His goal: to find the god's possessions and return them before a terrible war breaks out.

I would definitely recommend reading this book. It is not very hard to read, and will keep you intrigued. You may also want to know this is the first is a series if five.

Dragon Slippers Book Review

Ever wondered what it is like to deal with dragons? Well then this is a book for you! This book Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George, is an exciting, epic read. You fall in love with the characters right away, and the storyline is very well written.

Our story begins in a small town called Carlieff. There, we meet Creelisel Carlbrun, aka, Creel. She and her brother Hagen live with their not-so-rich aunt and uncle after their parent's sudden death. Creel's aunt decides that the only way to escape poverty is to sacrifice Creel to Theoradus, dragon of Carlieff. So Creel waits until the dragon shows up. He takes her into his lair, and Creel makes a bargain with the big dragon to let her have something from his hoard to let her go; and Theoradus offers her a pair of shoes from his "treasure" room. She looks around trying to decide what to pick from the millions of different pairs, when she settles on a pair of beautiful blue slippers. When Theoradus sees she picked these certain slippers, he is very hesitant to give them to her. But after much persuasion from Creel, the dragon gives them up. Little does Creel know that these shoes are more than just pretty slippers.

Creel heads off towards the King's Seat to find work in the sewing and embroidering industry. On her way to the city, she finds herself on the outskirts of Rath Forest, a place where there are said bandits, imps and dragons lurking about. A group bandits corner Creel and begin to terrorize her. Suddenly a huge glass window falls from the sky and onto the thugs. Creel watches the pieces of broken glass fall around her and blacks out.

When Creel awakens, she is has mysteriously appeared in the cave of a friendly dragon called Shardas. She becomes friends with this dragon, but realizes she can't stay with him because a human can't live with a dragon forever, and she needed to find work. So she continues to the King's Seat and meets Princess Amalia, soon to be married to the King's son, Milun. Creel then wanders the streets looking for a dress shop but finding none. She comes upon an inn where she meets Ulfrid, who is familiar with the sewing shops and helps her find a job in Derda's dress shop. Here, Creel becomes acquainted with her new friends Marta, Alle, and Larkin. When Amalia visits the shop for ribbon, she becomes very interested in Creel's shoes, making a fit that Creel won't sell them to her. A few night's later, her shoes are stolen by the most unexpected person-Larkin, who happens to be assisting Amalia in her hunger for power. Creel finds out that the slippers control the fate of the entire dragon kingdom and shockingly, that Shardas is the King of them all. Can Creel save the dragons in time, before Amalia destroys them?

This novel is delightfully intriguing with plenty of twists and turns. This book made me laugh and cry, and I loved each character and detail. It is a great read for ages 10 and up, and I'm sure you would enjoy it. Ever wondered what it's like to deal with dragons? Come join into Creel's world to find out!

A Wrinke in Time

A Wrinkle in Time is a very....interesting book. Although strange, it pulls you in and keeps you there until you turn the last page. It is intriguing, unique, and thought provoking. You know that nothing in this book could happen in real life, but you can't help wondering what lies beyond our solar system...could there be other life? Maybe magic? This book can make you think about things that may have never crossed your mind or seemed at all possible.

It all starts when a strange visitor comes to Meg's family's house in the middle of a stormy night. Meg's little brother, Charles Wallace, seems to know the woman under the pile of scarves. He calls her "Mrs. Whatsit", and tells Meg that she lives with her two friends Mrs. Which and Mrs. Who in the haunted house in the woods. Meg, who thinks the whole idea is ridiculous, decides to ignore it. That is, until she finds out that these three "women" can help her find out where her dad is, who disappeared in time a couple of years earlier. Together, and with Meg's new-found friend Calvin, they embark on a journey to save Meg's dad.

This book talks about the value of family and love. One of the unique themes to it is that it also talks about how you should see things with your heart, not your eyes. It teaches some valueable lessons if you can pay close enough attention.

This book also has a movie, and I would suggest you read the book first as it has much more detail, and of course it is much more fun to visualize the story yourself.

Overall, I think this book deserves a B+

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Before I tell you a little bit about this book, I would like to say that, first of all, it is absolutely amazing, and second of all, it is the last book in the Harry Potter series, so you need to read the other 6 books in order to understand this one at all.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling, Harry sets out on a mission Dumbledore has assigned him that can save the wizarding world. Voldemort is rising to power fast, and getting closer and closer to Harry, but luckily, Harry always has a “feeling” when Voldemort gets a little too close, and he makes several narrow escapes. He discovers the truth about many people, places, and items that are darker secrets than he could ever have imagined.
This nonfiction book is based on the power of love, and if you pay attention, it also mentions the value of family; whether your real family or adopted family.
I definitely recommend reading this fantastic book, especially after all the other great books in the series. The Harry Potter series are by far the best books I have read in my entire life, and this final book is just icing on the cake!!! A+

Flipped

A suspense thriller. The perfect fantasy novel. Always keeping you on the edge of your seat.Is that what you want me to say. Well, quite frankly this book was not like. It was not the typical young adult book that you find today. But ya' know what, I loved it.

This is a story that is told from two different perspectives. One is relating the experience of an 8th grade girl with a huge crush on an 8th grade boy. And the other side is that of the 8th grade boy. The book switches between the two every chapter, and it can take a little while two get used to the different writing styles.(which is amazing by just one author) But you get used to it about four chapters in.

Secondly this is a story that doesn't always keep you guessing but more so keep you laughing. Also it is not suspense that is keeping you reading. But the relationships between the families of the two main characters and those two themselves. There were even some times that I found myself laughing out loud in my bed. This is accompanied with Office like awkward

moments that make you cringe.

I think it is clear that this book is definitely unique in it's plot and format. I would recommend it to anyone that is interested in a light hearted book that is full of laughs.(yeah i'm talkin to you Charles) I loved this book and you should give it a shot.