BeccaThesaurus

Book Review: Life as we Knew It By Susan Beth Pfeffer

2009-02-13T14:01:00.000-08:00

There are many science fiction books that include the same theme as this one. The differences aren't hard to see though. This book is from the point of view of young Miranda. The only obstacles she had to face were homework and fighting with her mom. There comes some news that a meteor will hit the moon. She doesn't think much. I wouldn't either. Sometimes the world seems so cozy you feel like nothing will try and take the warmth away. That's not how the world works of course and soon she finds herself facing problems and seeing things that she would never have thought about before. When Miranda feels things could not get worse they do. When she thinks they can never get better, a ray of hope bubbles up inside her. She feels her life will never be the same again, but she starts to notice things. The way she shows her mom she loves her and that ordinary life seems so far away. You can't go from ordinary life to survival mode without giving some things up. Miranda also gains things. She understands life and death better and tries to deal with what life has given her.

The name gives away almost all of the theme. Miranda writes in her diary (the diary is the book) about life before and after. Though changes are being made, I don't think Miranda is really serious about the whole "moon disaster" until half way through the book. She writes in such a calm way. I almost feel like it's happening for real...until I get up and see the real moon exactly where it should be. I considered a few aspects of the book and I think that the real story lies not with all these disaster but with Miranda's family and friends. She gives up a few and gains some. All around her she sees the world the way she wants to, but in the end she's thankful for what she got.

Book Review: Diary of Anne Frank

2009-02-07T11:18:00.000-08:00

Anne Frank's diary has been a classic ever since it was published. It is a well known story created not for publishing, but for holding the cherished feelings of a young girl. It's a full account of her time living in hiding while World War II goes on. Though she only lived a few years in the secret annexe( the place she and another family) hid her heart is poured into this book. No feeling is left untouched. In her and in the reader. She goes through a period of depression where everyone is wrong and she feels the world does not care. Sometimes she needed a place to write down her thoughts privately and when she did she wrote it down with everything she could think of.

There are two reasons why this book means something to me. The first is that throughout Anne's diary you can really see that she is growing up and maturing. She starts to understand other peoples' feeling and starts growing tired of their cramped life. Her thoughts turn to a variety of subjects from their choked life in the secret annexe to the weather. You see her grow out of things and trying to understand her own individual self. The second thing is that after all that something tragic happens. All her hopes and dreams are swept aside as if they were never there. After the war, her father finds her diary and is eventually gets it published. It soon becomes a best seller because all young readers can feel empathy for what she went through and how she coped.

Book Review: Enchantress from the Stars By Sylvia Louise Engdahl

2009-01-09T12:57:00.000-08:00

The idea of a civilization or planet more advanced than we are is a common theme in books. The way you write it is the key to its perfection. 3 character’s viewpoint, all from different worlds is enclosed in this novel. The author jumps over the hurtle of different worlds and gives her descriptions perfectly. She writes it three ways: a fairy tale from Georyn, science fiction from Jarel, and Elana’s naïve view. All are were born on different planets but they all find themselves on this on tiny planet, in one far off solar system we have not heard of. Elana and Elana’s father are trying to teach Georyn and his brother a way to defeat the mighty dragon. Jarel comes from a world that is colonizing on other planets. The Dragon that Georyn sees is just a piece of machinery to Jarel. When Georyn and Elana get to know each other they realize they are more than friends. Jarel only knows about Elana and Georyn toward the end of the book.

The book’s faith in magic and dragons keeps up perfectly with it’s ability to surprise and surpass expectations. But the real story is between Georyn and the stars. When Georyn is shown a little smidge of what it’s like to have wisdom the door is closed on him forever. This is heartbreaking. To know that if only he had been born somewhere else it would not have been this way makes me feel melancholy all over. But the rest of the story is when Elana realizes that she…loves Georyn and also realizes she can not have him. Again the sadness is horrible. But I think sometimes we all fell this way. When we too are shown a piece of the world we’ll never see. We get just enough of a glimpse to tantalize our wants and grip onto our need. Our need to see it again or this world we see every will never seem like enough. And who can fathom how deeply that will change Georyn, let alone if it happened to us. if this books sounds the least amount of interesting to you please read it. If you're anything like me than it will go straight to your heart with all it's beauty.

Book Review: The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm By Nancy Farmer

2009-01-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm. That's the one of the strangest title's I've come across. But it does fit the story perfectly. Otherwise they would have to call it something else. And it probably wouldn't sound as interesting! What I like about this book is that it mixes old African folklore and and a futuristic theme that you see in a lot of Nancy Farmer's books. She does it very well too. This story is about a futuristic Zimbabwe where this General person protect everybody from gangs. He has 3 children he protects a little too well. They don't know how to do anything outside there own home. And they have never seen lots of people, nor seen the wild city streets at there worst. One day they decide to take an adventure. Shielded from the world as they were it's no wonder they ended up kidnapped ans put to work in the plastic mines. They have many escapes in there adventure And it's not an ordinary adventure. There's not a lot of action until the end of the story. Anyway horrified that her 3 darling children are missing there mom hires 3 detectives called the Ear the Eye and the Arm(from the agency called the same name) . They almost get them back...and then again they are just minutes behind...and then again...well you'll just have to wait and see. But these 3 people have special powers. Ear can hear amazingly well. And Eye can see across vast distances. Arm can feel peoples' emotions.

The thing about this book is that no matter what you do or think, it will not happen that way. Some things are easier to predict than others but they will not happen that way. You can go and look up what happens (and I'm not giving you that idea!) but it's better to read so you know what goes on before that and before that. Everything is a chain reaction. Because the children ran away, a million other things unfolded.

Book Review: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn By Betty Smith

2009-01-02T15:45:00.000-08:00

It's the life of a single family written diligently until perfection. Nothing happens in it. There is no great cataclysmic event. And yet everything happens. It's the story of Francie Nolan and her poverty stricken family. Born in the slums of Brooklyn, she grows up knowing the hardships and struggles that come when you really have to fight for your life. She learns that life is not fair and will never be perfect. The unfairness of it all caused me to hold back tears. Yet the all the sweetness living inside the book tells a different story. It quietly shoos away the tirade of cruelty so that all you think about is it's pleasant aroma. It never leave out a detail or falters. Even at the most unjust of times. When all seems lost and i just wanted to give up on poor Francie and her family.

Although when you read it it will be much sweeter than I can make it sound. One of the things I can't describe is the growing feeling I get for Francie. Her whole world revolves around poverty. What she faces some of us will never even touch. Yet with all this weighing her down, she has a growing hunger for books and for the world. I can feel some empathy for her on that. I love to read and can never get enough. The tree from the title is a tree that grows around areas with poor families. I think it's fitting for that tree to be in the title. Since this book revolves around poverty with many other ingredients in it.

Book Review: Keturah and Lord Death By Martine Leavitt

2008-12-26T10:33:00.000-08:00

From the title I'm sure you can figure out something! Keturah Reeve follows a hart into the forest. There she gets hopelessly lost. Three days later Death comes for her. Keturah expects him to be evil but instead he is a young man with a dark cape. He tells her her time has come and her village will be next when the plague strikes. She pleads with him to let her live and warn the villagers . It's hopeless until she starts telling him a story. A story she refuses to end. She wins one day of life. Death tells her if she can find the true love she hopes for, she can live and he will not take her. But it's harder than she thought. she even goes to a magic woman who gives her a charm to help, but it doesn't work as she expects. Angrily Keturah goes back to her but, she only tells her that she already has true love so the charm will not help much. Throughout the story she meets many unhelpful bachelors but in the end she must face Death.

Here's one book I'll keep in my head. The ending was perfect. I'm sure some of you can guess at what happens. Let me tell you, it doesn't end exactly the way it seems like it will. I couldn't believe the end when I read it. It's so good it was a National Book Award Finalist. It completely lived up to my expectations.I like how she chases a hart into the forest and then finds out she has to find her heart's true love. Of all the creatures the author could have chose, she chose the one that sounds the closest like love. If you read this book be prepared for a completely new sensation of feelings for this one of a kind book.

Book Review: The Dark is Rising By Susan Cooper

2008-12-14T17:16:00.000-08:00

When Will Stanton, a seventh son of a seventh son, turns 11 his life becomes beyond human. Turns out he is the last of an ancient race called the Old Ones. Bound by their nature, their only purpose is to battle the Dark and protect the Light. Will's job is to go an a quest to find the 6 Signs of Power so that They can defeat the Dark. He meets Merriman, an Old One like himself, who helps him on his quest. But his quest is hard on Merriman, who faces a betrayal from a close friend to the Dark. Since the Old Ones aren't human, they can go out of time. It's hard to follow the book closely because they'll tell you something and then later change what they just told you.

I like this book. It's completely and totally serious, so be ready to read it two or three times to get the full force of it's pages. I mean it! This book is so confusing. It blends betrayal, power, and evil all into one pot until you don't know which is which! And the amusing things that happen are hidden, so you have to look for them. The plot is thick and on every page something changes (and not always for the better) the Dark tries to destroy Will forever, and then he has them alone. Every single word changes the story and your view of it! it's an awesome read, if you can follow along. By the way, they made a movie out of it. It's called The Seeker, so if you like the book(or just don't want to read it) try the movie.

Book Review: And Then There Were None By Agatha Christie

2008-12-03T16:57:00.000-08:00

Here's a question: How do you have a detective/ mystery story that clearly states in the title that they all die? The answer is still not very clear me and I'm sure your asking if they all die, then who done it? Anyway...the story is about 10 people drawn to a remote island through letters for jobs or for vacations. It's owned by a Mr U. N. Owen. They realize soon after they get there that they have all been tricked and (later on) they realize they are going to die. But they don't just die, they all die according to the poem called Ten Little Indians. When police finally arrive, everyone is dead and no one knows how or why. Police are stumped (and so was I!!!). At the very end of the book, is a letter explaining who did it and why, written by the murderer.

It's a really weird book...and one of the most interesting I've read. Other than being very suspenseful it also asks questions like: is it alright to kill a murderer or where is the law good enough in a situation? All 10 people have dark backgrounds where they have been the main cause of someone's death or had a big part in it. The people on the island range from governess to doctor to judge and many others. I definitely recommend reading this... if it doesn't sound like a book for you, then just don't read it. And I just have to warn you that the beginning is a little slow... so don't be disappointed!

Book Review: Nicholas By Goscinny and Sempe

2008-11-23T06:52:00.000-08:00

Nicholas is a bunch of short stories about some wild unruly schoolchildren. He and his class have funny rambunctious adventures. Every one can feel for this book. It shows the emotions of little Nicholas and the adults. My family all have a favorite story and it's fun to laugh together over Nicholas' next adventure. There is one where they have an exchange student and they teach him some naughty words. And another where he plays cowboys and Indians and ties his Father to a tree! There is no end of fun with Nicholas!

This book is zany and funny! The first time we saw it in a book store we had to buy it. It may not be scary or adventurous but each individual story has a spark in that will keep you reading it for a long time. I don't know how many Nicholas books there are but there are at least four others. So if you like this one you can go read the others. Also the cool thing about Nicholas is it was originally published in 1959 and was written in French! it was translated to English later on. When I learned that I was shocked because it sounds perfect in English with no references to France at all!

Book Review: The Underneath By Kathi Appelt

2008-11-10T16:37:00.000-08:00

An inner circle of lives all TOUCHING. You go from one thing to another and they fit together like clouds. I'll try to tell the CIRCULAR summary as best I can. A LOVING calico cat befriends a sad, LONELY hound named Ranger. Underneath his house the cat has 2 TWIN kittens. The kittens grow up living in the underneath of the house. The only rule is: STAY in the underneath, DO NOT leave the underneath. For up above them is a man called Gar Face FILLED with HATE and CORRUPTED by GREED. He would not think twice about KILLING two little kittens... or using them as alligator BAIT. Every day he tries to catch the Alligator King. An alligator that is said to be 100 feet long and a THOUSAND years old. Meanwhile the Alligator King is WAITING for his sister. A creature part SNAKE and part HUMAN known as Grandmother Moccasin. She lays waiting in a jar under a thousand year old dead tree.

This is a MUST read aloud. I'm serious! You HAVE to read this book aloud. If you don't, you will NOT get the full force of it's unique poetic-ness. You will just get a little TASTE of it, which won"t be enough. I loved this book. It's one CUDDLY poem wrapped up and packaged as a book. Also the setting in which the book is written is artfully told. A magical forest of trees where they watch sadness grow and love tell tales with every ounce of themselves. It's the PERFECT setting for such a story. If you don't read this you're really missing out on a TEARFULLY good story. I have NEVER heard of Kathi Appelt before this book. But if I EVER find another one by her, I will read it IMMEDIATLY because this book is a CREATIVE masterpiece. Woven with the FINEST inks, she used a secret skill that was LOST long ago.

Book Review: Coraline By Neil Gaimon

2008-10-29T17:15:00.000-07:00

It all starts one rainy afternoon when Coraline is bored in there new house. She decides to do some exploring. She comes across an OMINOUS door that leads to a CRUEL and EVIL parallel universe. It SEEMS alright at first. In the new house she has toys GALORE and delicious foods that far exceed her father's homemade recipes. But soon he new parents begin to try to CHANGE her and when she FRANTICALLY goes back to her REAL home... her parents are GONE. When she goes into their bedroom there they are TRAPPED in the mirror.

I liked this book a lot although not as much as his other book Stardust. Neil Gaimon is currently making a movie of this book and I don't really think it will be altogether good. Neil Gaimon is not good at suspense or thriller books. That's what makes his book so good. I dislike anything TOO scary. what I'm worried about is that the directors and actors they hire will be. And then the movie won't be HIS book anymore it'll be THEIRS. They'll change it just like her parallel universe parents tried to. Besides THAT it might be an OK movie. Maybe not my favorite. And it DEFINITELY won't be half as good as this book is.

Book Review: The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

2008-10-24T14:22:00.000-07:00

This FEARFUL book is about a FUTURISTIC time where there is one GOLDEN city and twelve surrounding districts. At one time all the districts REBELLED against the city...and LOST. For that, the city FORCES them to give 2 people for the annual HUNGER GAMES and forces them to watch as the young adolescents playing have to SURVIVE and KILL each other for food. The city FORCES them to watch as one of their own DIES as if to say "we own you and there's absolutely NOTHING you can do about it". And for Katniss there's only LOVE in her heart when she steps up to take her younger sister's place as a "TRIBUTE" for the foreboding game. She thus enters TERRIFYNG ordeals and FEARFUL UNKNOWN dangers.

No matter what it sounds like this in not a HORROR book. Suzanne Collin mixes high SUSPENSE with a hint of ROMANCE. I was INTRIGUED about it as soon as I saw it. It's like NO other book I've read and although it's not very plausible (what FANTASY book is!?) it's an AWESOME story. The end is a little DISAPPOINTING and at the bottom it has the words "End of Book 1". So it is a series! I CAN'T wait for the next (and HOPEFULLY the next after the next!) book in this SERIES for ages 12 and up!

Book Review: Stargirl By Jerry Spinelli

2008-10-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

Stargirl Caraway arrives at Mica High in Arizona and nothing is EVER the same again. Some people whispered that she was a FAKE. An old teacher in the story called her a "RARA AVIS". But the truth is, in the story, she is simply a kind person who's creative instinct never faltered as she grew up. Most people's creative-ness DIMS as they grow, not Stargirl's. She never sways. Leo (the main character and narrator) and many others are STARTLED the first time she does something OUT - OF - PLACE. Gradually ( and no one knows what makes it happen) everyone WARMS to Stargirl. They all come to understand she symbolizes INDIVIDUALISM and CREATIVE talent. For a time everything is fine and Leo is FLOATING in HAPPINESS and LOVE but things change. Through unseen events Stargirl's own kindness is her DOWNFALL. People SHUN her. They RESENT her for what she did and will NEVER forgive. And when Stargirl is pulled down, Leo goes with her. He STRUGGLES internally. He KNOWS what he has to do to be forgiven. He knows he has a CHANCE. All he has to do is GIVE UP on Stargirl. Give her up and THROW away the key. It's Stargirl OR the school. He never knew how much he NEEDED interaction with everyone until there was NO ONE. His choice will AFFECT both Stargirl and Mica High.

I give this book TWO thumbs up. Personally I THINK it should be made into a movie. It's about IMPORTANT and ILL-BALANCED; school, popularity, and choices. The outcome of Leo's choice is important too. The end is slightly MELANCHOLY, but if u like the book there's another one called Love, Stargirl. And although it's not as GOOD as Stargirl, it has her in it and she's as CREATIVE as ever. I LOVED this book! It should be for ages 10 and up!

Book Review: The Secret Life of Bees By Sue Monk Kidd

2008-09-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

I've had many people ask me at school about this one. They say they want to read it or ask what it's about. The main thing a LOVE about this ONE of a kind book is it's main character. Lily Owens has had a WEIGHTY guilt pushing her down all her life. So when her stand-in mama, Rosaleen (her real mother DIED earlier in her life) gets put in jail for FIGHTING in self defense, Lily decides she has had ENOUGH and sets off for Tiburen, South Carolina with Rosaleen in TOW. There she meets June, August, and May, three sisters in the bee keeping business who TAKE them in.

This book is HEART-TEARING. It RIPS your heart out and then makes you so MAD at some of the things that go on. As Lily Owens CONTINUES to grow to love their CRAZY house and ZANY attitudes she has to admit some things to herself and learn to FORGIVE and FORGET. This book makes me understand and feel SYMPATHY for some of the characters. Like T-ray, her non understanding father who never got over her mom and become HARDENED and UNFORGIVING.

When you think of a book about bees you would probably not think of this book. But it does have bees in it. In more places than one. It has little snippets of info about bees and talks about bees as if they were a tad bit human. I suggest this book for thirteen and up, but all ages will enjoy this lovely classic.

Book Review: Operation Red Jericho By Joshua Mowll

2008-09-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

This is a tale of the HIGH SEAS, Chinese pirates, two orphans (Doug and Rebecca MacKenzie), and a SECRET society. Believe me this is no ORDINARY thriller! It starts out with Doug and Rebecca going to meet their uncle on board his ship. But soon, they turn a REGULAR voyage to one with HIGH stakes. They meet Chung fat the Chinese PIRATE and witness first hand some of his DESRUCTIVE and OMINOUS ways. This book is all about EXTRAORDINARY things that can happen if you make the right mistakes and say the right thing!

If you think this book has the look of a regular adventure. Think again! It's completely DIFFERENT from any adventure I've ever read! I was INTRIGUED about it from the first moment I laid eyes on it. When I read it's heart-stopping adventures I couldn't believe it. Doug and Rebecca also begin to UNRAVEL a secret about their parents they'd never known before. This is one of two books right now in this awesome ADVENTURE series! i couldn't believe how it ended! anyway, I recommend this HIGH SEAS ADVENTURE story for 12 and up!

Book Review - The Book Thief By Markus Zusak

2008-09-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

My teacher actually recommended this one to me. I didn't find it. It was suggested. The first thing I noticed when I opened it was a man, dark and foreboding, talking about DEATH and COLORS. Not death colors. Death and colors. Later I don't think of him as OMINOUS, but as a sad soul. It's kind of funny to call him a soul because the narrator is DEATH. Death himself. I don't mean he's cruel. Markus Zusak almost portrays him as DESPONDENT, as if he doesn't like what he does either. He has a personality all his own. That no one had even thought about matching and associating with Death BEFORE.

Anyway I'm off track. The story Death tells starts with a little girl who's just LOST her brother. Liesel Meminger's only brother. HE sees her four times throughout the story. Each time as someone is drawing their LAST breath. The story he SPINS is about a girl who STEALS books, some deaths, an accordion player, a Jew, and WORLD WAR TWO. Later he learns her story from words she herself wrote. Together this (and many other things a haven't mentioned so I won't RUIN the story and make you not want to read it) make a HOPEFUL, MELANCHOLY, TEARFUL, and MAJESTIC story set in the heart of a DESPERATE time. World War Two.

This is a HEART-WARMING story about Death, Death the narrator, and UNFAIRNESS. I recommend this book for 12 and up. But I also think an adult will understand the SILLINESS and SERIOUSNESS of it too. I DEFINITELY recommend this book to anyone who wants to read it.

Book Review - Montmorency By Eleanor Updale

2008-09-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

Montmorency is a about a petty THIEF who FALLS through a glass roof on his way to escape from the London police. When an AMBITIOUS doctor heals his broken body, he shows him off like an ANIMAL to other scientists at lectures. It's on one of these trips that Montmorency learns about the local SEWER. After he's RELEASED from prison he starts HIDING in these same sewers and STEALING from the stores above. But he realizes he needs a new life and CREATES two versions of himself. Scarper the THIEF who SKULKS in the sewers and bars and Montmorency the GENTLEMAN who resides at an UPSTATE hotel and has fine clothes. Montmoerency must always be on his toes. Anyone could FIND out his secret at any time and he would be HANGED for his crimes.

Like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde one side has to WIN. That's what makes this book so interesting. You watch Montmorency WRESTLE with his Scarper side almost as if it were two people instead of one. I just learned that it's a series book. So whatever CHOICE he makes in this one (and I'm not telling WHO he chooses) might be completely different from the next one. He goes through all sorts of adventures in the book, from UNCOVERING a political plot to being in the sewer when a storm hits! I suggest this book for 11 and up! It's a perfectly matched book with both CRUEL skulduggery to Gentleman - like ADVENTURES.

Book Review - Green Angel By Alice Hoffman

2008-08-26T17:25:00.000-07:00

Green, a shy PATIENT girl, who would rather weed the plants than talk to people, is the only one at home when a great FIRE in the city below her starts. Her family DOESN'T come back from the city that day. Green is washed away in GUILT and GRIEF. She's lost in PAIN, physical (for she can no longer see. The embers from the fire BURNED her eyes) and emotional. She begins to ERASE her past but as she does she erases the Green she once was and calls herself Ash instead. She INKS tattoos on her skin to try to DESTROY her feelings. If it weren't for a MUTE boy, a WISE woman, and a GHOSTLY dog she wouldn't have been able to come out of her DARK gray cloud and start to HEAL again. She wouldn't have started to BLOOM again.

This book is all about how Green REACTS to LOSS and how it shapes her life from then on. Before I read this book I could believe it was sad but I didn't know how sad until I opened the first page. It sent a DULL ache all through my body, a LONGING for what should have been in her life. I wanted to CRY. It's EXTREMELY well written. I could almost believe it actually happened. This book is for 12 - 13 year olds and up. Green has a HAPPY - ISH ending in the book but others don't start to grow green again. Instead they WILT and die inside. It makes me feel that everybody should be given a SECOND chance to grow and turn a NEW leaf in their life! I LOVE this book and DEFINITELY recommend it!

Book Review - The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane ByKate Dicamillo

2008-08-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

Edward Tulane, an EXSPENSIVE and well - to - do china rabbit has a wonderful life with a little girl named Abilene. He has no WORRIES and Abilene plays with him all the time. But one day Edward is LOST. This story is all about his journey from the moment he's gone from Abilene until the end of the book. He finds himself in some DARK places and in some NICE places but from the moment he begins the journey, he starts to CHANGE. He goes from a stuck up little bunny to someone who has been taught the HARD way to listen and be patient and most important, to HOPE for the IMPOSSIBLE. No matter where he is, the the worn and tired rabbit is learning something NEW. He meets a hobo, a SICK little girl, an old family by the seaside and many more heart -warming people who change him and make his heart SWELL.

I got this book at my school library and DECIDED to read it aloud to my little sister. My mom got involved and soon we were sitting there after dinner IMMERSED in a tale so dramatic and MOVING that at one point I couldn't read at all because I was CHOKING down a sob . We all cried then. To me, CRYING means the book has you ENTHRALLED. It means you are paying CLOSE attention to the characters and you are PUSHING them on. and to me that's the best way to know you are ACTUALLY going along with the story.

This book is the best book I've EVER read aloud to my family. I think about this book with a SMILE every once in awhile. this book is for all ages. My 7 year old sister got something out of it so I'm sure you will too. It's a SPECIAL read and all who OPEN to the first page will not REGRET it. This is both TOUCHING and and a bit SILLY. It will REMAIN one of my favorites FOREVER.

Book Review : Hatchet By Gary Paulsen

2008-08-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

When we read this book in class I thought it would be just like any other SURVIVAL story. Well, I was wrong. This is a one - of - a - kind - story with both real facts and an interesting TWIST on the main character (there's only one or two characters through the whole book!!!). I love this book and feel EXHILARATED every time I read it!

Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his dad in Canada when the pilot has a HEART ATTACK and leaves Brian ALONE on the plane. In the first few PANICKED chapters he : CRASH - LANDS the plane, BARELY survives the crash to start with BUT then he has to swim for shore, and by THAT time he is so tired he FALLS unconscious (wouldn't you ?!) on the sand of this L -shaped lake. When he wakes up he has to learn to survive and that isn't easy to do. The only thing he has with him is a HATCHET his mom gave him as a going - away present. And THANK goodness she did!

During the WHOLE book Brian must COPE with his fears in the wilderness and out in order survive. He has to learn to hunt, fish with a spear, build a tent, make fire and let's not FORGET about making a shelter! For a 12 year old boy that's a BIG step! I give this book a BIG smile and a WARM hug! Also, it should be for 12 year olds and up!I enjoy this book because of the way Gary Paulsen writes it. He has this way of explaining things in JUST the RIGHT way in order to give the reader a PLAUSIBLE picture of what's going on. This book is a real WINNER and is one of my favoites ( like all the ones I write book reviews on!)

Book Review - The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

2008-08-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

NOTE - I'm really SORRY I haven't posted anything in awhile but I started SCHOOL and I've just become really BUSY. So like I said I'm really SORRY it's been awhile but I'm having a LATE start this month! Well, here it is!

A book of FRIENDSHIP, two different SIDES, and a deep set HOPE. This story made me question things I thought I knew. It's poetic, brotherly and a littleVIOLENT. The main character, Ponyboy Curtis, is brought up BELOW the middle class where most of us are today. His parents DIED in a car crash and his brothers (Darry and Sodapop Curtis) and friends are all he's got.But one FATEFUL day a chain reaction of events FORCES him and his buddy Johnny to leave. From their the water really starts to BOIL!Through the story ponyboy is KNOCKED down again as again as everything and everybody he knows CRUMBLES .He gets friends taken away, is forced to witness a MURDER, and he must stop himself from hardening beyond feeling (If you ever read the story you'll know what I mean), yet all the while he is getting a new PERSPECTIVE on the word friendship and family

I give this book two thumbs up and think it's appropiate for TWEENS but adults will get something out of it too!The cool thing about this book is it was written in a time in the 1900's when they thought girls couldn't write books ( in the 1960's i think!) !!!!! I LOVED this book when we read it at school and I still LOVE it! It's at the TOP of the list for 12 year old on all who have read it will AGREE with me that that's where it should be.When S. E. Hinton wrote this book she was creating a MASTERPIECE we still CHERISH today!

Book Review : Once Upon a Time in the North - Philip Pullman

2008-07-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

I found this small book right after I had finished rereading the Golden Compass Series. For those of you who don't like the Series I can see how you would have that reaction! It is a GOOD READ though and I recommend you to AT LEAST try to look at the good side and awesome parts!

Anyway, this book is the FIRST meeting of Lee Scoresby and the Bear King Iorek Byrnison (I'm not sure if he's King at this point though!). In the first chapter we see Lee and Hester when they were younger and before they'd ever met Lyra. He crash lands his balloon (Lee had just won it in a game!) on a little island where trouble is BREWING fast! Lee gets involved and meets his enemy, an escaped MURDERER from Texas who'd KILLED many people there.Wondering how he got in this mess and head still spinning from seeing that EVIL man Lee has to make some choices and choose his side. On one hand is the soon-to-be mayor along with the big company owners,and lets not forget the murderer! On the other is a poor sea captain who can't get his cargo due to some laws nobody knew existed, and the Bear King.

In this before - everything book Lee is the YOUNG main character instead of Lyra and Will (I think he"s about 24 OR 25). Philip Pullman does a good job of DRAWING you into his always - detailed story of before the Series! I hope he has some more in mind (i think he does!) !!! I recommend this book for TWEENS! I also suggest you read the Golden Compass Series first! Have FUN!

Book Review : Stormbreaker By Anthony Horowitz

2008-07-29T04:40:00.000-07:00

Note - This book (like lots of other books) is the first of about 7 in an ADVENTUROUS series called (I think anyway!!) "ALEX RIDER ADVENTURES"!!!!!!!

When I first immersed myself in this AWESOME page - turner I was hooked!From the first page to the last, Alex Rider gets in one DANGEROUS situation after another! In the first chapter he finds out his only relative , Uncle Ian, is DEAD (his parents died in a plane crash but all through the series he finds clues linked to his dad that make him SUSPICIOUS... but anyway ...) but his cause of death doesn't add up. The police told him his Uncle's car crashed and he didn't have his seat belt on but Alex is pretty sure he wouldn't ride without one. Alex wants to find out more so he goes to the junkyard and finds his uncles car...full of BULLET HOLES! From there his situation DEEPENS! I won't tell you the rest of that part but it has to do with a car CRUSHER and has Uncles car! Anyway , eventually MI6 finds and RECRUITS him...to find his Uncle's KILLERS (of course there's more to the book than that, this review doesn't even SCRATCH the surface!)!!! Alex's life will never be the same even if he WISHES it was.

Since I write TWEEN book reviews this book should be for TWEENS and up.Also, since this is a series, the best part is that there's more than one(actually there's about 7 right now!).I think Anthony Horowitz finished the SERIES but the ones he wrote are AWESOME!

Book Review - Penelope by Marilyn Kaye

2008-07-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

A hilarious fairytale with a modern twist. Penelope has been told by her parents all her life that she isn't good enough because of her pig nose CURSE. Her mom lines up suitors because she thinks it's the only way to break the curse. Her curse says that only someone who is blue-blooded and loves her for her can break the curse. Penelope just doesn't like any of them; who would? Also in the story is a reporter (and with a reporter you know it's going to be interesting!) who wants a look at this "PIG GIRL". He hires a down-on-his-luck guy named Max (so he thinks) to pretend to be a suitor and take a picture.

I don't want to tell you anymore but Penelope takes things into own hands and sets out to be free in New York after Max is exposed as a fraud. This book gives you a way different look on fairy tales in general because the story usually follows the prettiest, smartest princess! This book is for ten and up. I also think everyone should read it who likes fairy tales, ROMANCE, and a pig-nosed girl who wants to be FREE!

Book Review: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

2008-07-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

Note-First of all I just want to say that this is a SERIES book. It is the first of a SERIES called "Percy Jackson and the Olympians".

Percy Jackson (as my note above told you) has been kicked out of middle school after middle school but his life is about to take a new, unexpected turn! He soon finds out that he is the son of a GREEK GOD (but I won't tell you which one!). He is called a half-blood because he is part mortal (his Mom) and part GOD (his Dad). From getting attacked by the MINOTAUR, to this time crazy hotel, to going on a quest to the Underworld, Percy is swept into a TERRIBLE battle. He has to (with the help of his newly found friends, Grover the Satyr, and AnneBeth) find the real THIEF who stole Zeus' most powerful lightning bolt, forgive his dad, keep his fun attitude, solve the riddle of the ORACLE (which warns him of a betrayal by "one who calls him a friend") and unravel a treachery with more power and consequences than seen in thousands of years.

Since this book is JAM-PACKED with adventure, I recommend it for 10-ish and up! I also HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone who is interested in GREEK GODS, awesome adventures, and a really COOL story.

Book Review: Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

2008-06-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

Sophie Hatter , the eldest, is sure that she will FAIL because of being FIRST in her family. When her father DIES and Fannie sends her two sisters to make their fortunes, Sophie is all ready to stay in the family hat business (HATTER, HATS-Do you see where Diana gets it) until the Witch of Waste comes and CURSES her. Now that her youth is gone, Sophie sets out on a journey that starts when she opens the door to Howl's Moving Castle.

Howl is said to eat HEARTS in her town so she must have been very BRAVE. There she meets Howl, an arrogant, powerful wizard and his apprentice, Michael. Howl and Sophie CLASH. She aggravates HIM and cleans too much while he SLITHERS out of things and WHINES at the slightest cold. Diana does a GREAT job of telling Sophie's once in a lifetime story. The small things matter in this book and I highly recommend it to ANYONE who looks at the little details, likes magic in a world that everything unexpected happens and likes Diana Wynne Jones books (she has A LOT).

Book Review: Blue by Joyce Hostetter

2008-06-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

Ann Fay, a strong young girl, has to become the man of the house when her Daddy leaves to fight Hitler. But her problems only get worse. Her poor brother gets polio during an epidemic, and she thinks it is all her FAULT. When no one can come to her house because of the quarantine sign and she has to find the courage to burn Bobby's toys, Ann Fay needs her Daddy more than ever. She misses fighting with her Daddy over the wisteria; her Daddy says it is blue and she says it is purple.

Even through the events that follow through the story, don't go exactly how she wants them to, she gets a different point of view (and I think better) for everything that happens. I recommend this book for ages 9 and up. I also recommend this story for people who love historical fiction, a sad lovable, cuddly story and great characters.

Book Review: Savvy by Igrid Law

2008-06-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

The Beaumonts, a family who act normal, aren't. Mibs (short for Mississippi) is so close to her thirteen birthday, she can smell it. That's when, her great SAVVY will come out. Her two brothers before her as well as almost everyone else in her family gets a special something called a SAVVY on their thirteen birthday. Her Grandpa can move mountains; her Momma is perfect; her brother, Rocket, creates electricity and her other brother Fish makes hurricanes. With that kind of family, nothing goes normal! But just before her special day, something TERRIBLE happens to her Poppa. To add to the pile, her perfect Momma leaves with Rocket to see Poppa and the preacher's wife takes over their house.

Mibs has to figure out what to do once you make the WRONG choices. She stows away on a PINK bus with a down-on-his-luck bus driver and drags her brothers, Samson and Fish, along with the preacher's kids into the the frying pan. Mibs must decide to ride out her choices and cope with the adventure that follows. And if she comes through on top, she must look down again and realize her adventures made her more than she was before. She must learn to ride the world before the world rides all over her leaving everyone that she dragged along in the MUD.

I definitely love this book. It's got style, spunk, and a whole mess of something different. It's a different way of thinking. Usually the people with the Savvys (or powers I guess you could call them) go out and help other people. In this book all she's trying to do is help her papa. I think this book is ok for all ages. Please read it . It's good and it's got everything you need for just the right story!

The Time Travelers-Volume One by Caroline B. Cooney

2008-05-30T17:39:00.000-07:00

As soon as I saw this book, I knew it was for me! Annie, a hopeless romantic (like me), wants romance with someone. Instead, she goes back one hundred years (or falls back as she describes it)to 1890 and finds someone that she REALLY truly loves. She runs into all these problems; she must help solve a murder, decide who she loves, Sean (her boyfriend back home) or Strat (a gentleman in 1890), lie, decide who to trust,and help Strat decide who to love -Harriet or Annie herself.

Annie does not fit in with 1890. She never learned manners and does not know the customs. For all your know from reading this, she could mess up time and space forever. In the second book (the volume has two books in one), she must help Strat get out of an asylum, stay away from treacherous people, help Harriet before it is too late, and face things that she would never face in her own century.

Like some other books, this adventure story has some feminine things and some bad points of view about girls or ladies, I guess so this should 6th and 7th grade and up. So if you are a hopeless romantic (like me), crave adventure, and love a story that takes twists like a road then I highly recommend this book.

Book Review-The Borning Room by Paul Fleischman

2008-05-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

A gentle flowing book with the tender family's borning room at its center. It is about Birth, Death, Marriage, and Love. Georgina, her mother, father, and siblings face many losses yet they stick together and come through in the end. We see Georgina as a young girl but at the end, she is as old as her grandfather was.

This book has some feminine things so I suggest that it should be 6th and 7th grade and up. Its characters open up and you see the book through their eyes, their feelings, their hearts. Paul Fleischman does a great job in telling every little detail in the exact way the family should see it.

Unbelievable wives tales and different faiths blend in with the story to form a poetic understanding family that go through many changes in history, technology, and revolution. To read this book is like walking into the past. I highly recommend it to anyone who is willing to really truly feel this book in their hearts.

Book Review-Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien

2008-05-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

First of all, I still don't know who Zachariah is. I think a book should have to do with its title. It's only got 2 main characters in it plus a dog. Ann and John R. Loomis. After a nuclear war, Ann thought that she was the only one left alive. Her valley escaped harm somehow. Then a man comes. Over the course of the book, you get a new idea of Mr. Loomis. It goes from mysterious, to sympathy, to scary. That guy is NUTS, he became insane after he was alone for a year walking to any place with life. His dreadful past comes out in his fever when he is delirious. He is the only one in the world with a suit safe from nuclear gas so Ann is trapped in the valley with HIM.

With all the juicy plot, I recommend this book for thirteen and up. It is has some STUFF in this one scene. There is something worse than being the last person alive, and Ann has to rely on her instincts and dreams to get out of the valley and away from HIM.

The ending is not as good as the beginning, but if you like mysterious characters, a sort of science fiction plot, and don't care what the title is then I highly recommend this book.

BeccaThesaurus

2008-05-20T14:57:00.003-07:00

Hi I'm Becca.Welcome to my blog!If you have any suggestions please leave a comment!!!