Conspiracy 365

Conspiracy 365

Author: Gabriella Lord

Genre: Mystery

Reviewed by: Ben

January (Conspiracy 365)

The books I recommend are from the Conspiracy 365 series. These books have nonstop action. There are 12 books and each is labeled by month. This is because there is a boy named Callumn Ormond who is on the run and has to figure out his dad’s riddle!! It’ll change the world. I would rate it 5 out of 5 stars. It’s a mystery.

Eggs Over Evie

Title: Eggs Over Evie

Author: Alison Jackson

Genre: realistic fiction

Review by: Katelyn

Rating: 5

Eggs over Evie

Hi everyone, I’m here to tell you about the book called, Eggs Over Evie. It is a good book choice for girls 8-13 years old. It’s not part of a series; it’s a stand-alone book. I enjoyed this book very much because it has a strong hook about a girl that loves baking. She also loves dogs. Her parents are divorced and her dad is a baker. It is a story with a lot about family problems. I liked this book because it was detailed and I could kind of relate to it. If you love to bake this is a great book for YOU!

Eragon

Eragon

by Christoper Paolini

receives a 5 star rating from guest reviewer – Waren

Eragon (Inheritance, #1) This thrilling adventure will make you dive into the book immediately and you will never want to stop reading it. I think this book made me really enjoy fantasy.   I like it more than other books I have read.  I also think that Eragon was a really good book because it’s action packed.  It is about a boy who finds an egg in the forest called The Black Spine.  He finds a turquoise blue dragon egg that hatches and he becomes a dragon rider.  I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the fourth in the series to come out.

(Inheritance’s release date is November 8, 2011.  We hope that remains true!)

The Trumpet of the Swan

The Trumpet of the Swan

By E.B. White

The Trumpet of the Swan

I love this book: Trumpet of the Swan. It’s about a swan that is born different from all his brothers and sisters. Because of this he also finds out that there is another way he is different – in a musical way. If you like adventures this book is a real adventure. There’s a robbery of the trumpet and a fox that tries to kill the mother. I loved this book because I like swans and this is a swan story so it was a good book to read.

If you read and liked Charlotte’s Web you should like Trumpet of the Swan. If you like nature and swans then you should read it. This book has a strong hook that explains about a musical swan with a lot of surprises up its sleeve.  The bad thing is it’s so interesting but there’s no sequel. This book is good for 8-12 year-olds.

I hope you read this book. It’s really good.

Till Death Do Us Bark

Till Death Do Us Bark

Till Death Do Us Bark is the punny, third book of the 43 Old Cemetery Road series by Kate and M.Sarah Klise.  Written as a collection of letters, newspaper articles and advertisements (as are other Klise favorites), this book tells the story of a boy who, though trying very hard to be perfect, discovers he is not.  He has to learn to deal with that – he runs away.  Hmmmm, perhaps not the best choice.

The story begins with a dog arriving at Spence Mansion.  Seymour (the trying to be perfect boy) is overjoyed. His adoptive parents, Ignatius B. Grumply and Olive C. Spence, are not — especially when Secret, the dog, begins barking all night long. They have chapters of the book to write and illustrate. With the noise they cannot seem to work, harsh words are said and, also bothersome, Shadow is missing.

Is it possible Secret misses his old companion, the late Noah Breth, whose children are fighting like cats and dogs over their father’s fortune?  Could it be that Secret just wants to be home in his own doghouse?  Or does Secret have a secret that, in the end, will make the entire town of Ghastly sigh with relief?

You’ll have fun reading this series – the story is fun, the word play is funnier, the limericks are good and the characters are the best.

The opening line is a quote from Henry David Thoreau –

“That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest.”

What are your pleasures this summer?

Inside Out and Back Again

Inside Out and Back Again I hope you will find and read Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai.  The story takes place in a year.  It is the journal of 10-year old Ha and captures the changes in her life from Tet in 1975 (Year of the Cat) to Tet in 1976 (Year of the Dragon). It is a time of turmoil for Ha. She has lived through the fall of Saigon, escaped her country on an over-crowded boat, become a refugee on Guam and then Florida and been is sponsored by a family in Alabama.  Once there is Alabama, she must learn how to survive in a place that holds little welcome or respect for her differences, nor any love for her homeland.  The book is written in verse.  The words are beautiful, clear and precise.  Here’s one entry:

Wishes

I wish

Brother Khoi wouldn’t

keep inside

how he endures

the hours of school

that mother wouldn’t

hide her bleeding fingers

that Brother Quang wouldn’t

be so angry after work.

I wish

our cowboy could be persuaded

to buy a horse.

that I cold be invisible

until I can talk back.

that English could be learned

without so many rules.

I wish

Father would appear

in my class

speaking beautiful English

as he does French and Chinese

and hold out his hand

for mine.

Mostly

I wish

I were

still

smart.    (p. 158-159)

There is hope as the new year approaches.  Ha and her family will make a new home and find comfort and happiness once more – Ha will always long for home, and yet know this “is not so bad.”

Part of this story is autobiographical.  Much of what Ha experiences, is what the author experienced.  She captures the feelings and emotions clearly so readers have a window her world of confusion, hurt and determination.

A Million Shades of GrayThe Buddha's DiamondsWhen Heaven Fell

Combined with A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata and The Buddha’s Diamonds and When Heaven Fell by Carolyn Marsden readers canl learn much about Vietnam  – the country, the people and the process of healing and begin to understand a bit more about loss.

Jacob’s Ladder

Jacob’s Ladder

By: Brain Keaney

Genre: Horror

Rating : 4 out 5

Review by: Cole

Jacob's Ladder

I have read many good books in the past but these are some of my favorites: Jacob’s Ladder, The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Conspiracy 365 series. The book I am recommending is a book called Jacob’s Ladder by Brian Keaney.  This fast paced horror book is very good for people ages 12 to 40. I liked this book because it made me want to keep reading. I couldn’t stop. This book is similar to Everlost. I would recommend this book if you are into horror books, although I would not recommend this book if you don’t like horror. The thing that kept me hooked was the way the book flowed with nonstop action. This is not part of a series.  It is a stand-alone book.

The Throne of Fire

The Throne of Fire

by Rick Riordan

Book Review by Cooper

This action-packed book is filled with facts about with ancient Egypt and Egyption mythology.  It is fantasy and  great read for kids who loved the Percy Jackson series.  If you loved them,  you should read The Throne Of Fire By Rick Riordan.

The Throne of Fire (Kane Chronicles, #2)

It’s the second book in the Kane chronicle series. Carter and Sadie Kane, go on a journey to save the world from the giant snake, Apophis. They have to wake the sun god Ra before Apophis swallows the sun and put the world in the hands of Chaos!  You will be on the edge of your seat with this astonishing and surprising book, which was a 5 star rating for me!

Warrior Heir

Warrior Heir

The Warrior Heir (The Heir Chronicles, #1)

Author: Cinda William Chima

Genre: Fantasy/Mystery

Review by Skyler

Warrior Heir is a tale fit for the most adventurous readers. I loved this book because there’s danger around every corner and tragic mysteries to be solved. It’s action packed and filled with adventure. Warrior Heir is similar to Harry Potter only better!

The book is about a 16 year old boy, Jack, who finds out he’s the last warrior and looks for one of the great seven blades.  There are two sides ruling the magic world that Jack is truly from (warriors, wizards, seers, sorcerers, soothsayers, and enchanters) – The Red Rose and the White Rose.  There is also a game in which each ruling sides (Red and White Rose) must send forth a warrior to fight to the death in order to establish their rule over Weirland.

Suddenly, a man named Hastings appears and enlists Jack in the Game. Only before he can fight, two men take him away. This means that both the Red and White Rose are after him so they can play Jack in the tournament. If he can survive up to the game, he can play.  His friends and family might stop him first though.

Warrior Heir is entertaining; once you start you won’t stop until you finish the book.  It’s a page-turner. It has intense action and unbearable betrayal. This book is the first book of the amazing Heir Chronicles.  ENJOY!

The Lost Hero

The Lost Hero

By: Rick Riordan

Review By: Zack

The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1)

This book was the best book ever. If you thought The Young Olympians series with Percy Jackson was good, this blows that book away. It has action, fantasy and fun packed into one book where Greek and Roman mythology collide. You should read this.  The action will keep you on the edge of your seat.  The next book in the series is called, The Son of Neptune and is due of October 4, 2011.   It’s a great book with non-stop awesome action. I give it two thumbs up!!