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2005 TeenRead Book Reviews Title: Mates,
Dates, and Sequin Smiles Author:
Cathy Hopkins Posted August 2, 2005 (110) Hi everybody this is Ashleigh Barger with another good book called "The Face on the Milk Carton" by Caroline B. Cooney. The Face on the Milk Carton is a book about a 15-year old girl named Janie Johnson. One day at lunch Janie took a sip of her friend's milk even though she was allergic to it. Then as sat the milk carton down she recognized the face on the milk carton. It was hers! Janie looks under the title that says KIDNAPPED To find out the name it was Jennie Spring. Janie had a lot of questions but no answers. I recommend this book to 4th grade and above, so go to your nearest library and check out this book. Posted August 1, 2005 (109) Howdy, this is Ashleigh Barger with another great book called "The Princess Diaries" by Meg Cabot. This is a book about a 14 year old girl named Mia Thermopolis who thinks she is a regular freshman at Ablted Einstein High School. Then everything in her life changes when her father comes to town and tells her that she is the Princess of Genovia. Then one day her grandmother comes to give Mia princess lessons. Later Mia learns that she has to change a lot of things like how she dress and how she eats at the table. But when Mia learns that all of this is going to change. Mia begins to know that she now has a guard, rides in the limo to places, and loses her best friend. I thought this was a great book and I can't wait to read the rest of Meg Cabot's books, go to your nearest library and check out this book. Posted July 28, 2005 (108) My name is Jessica Markham and I just finished an excellent book called Lirael. It was written by Garth Nix and is the second in a series of three books. It is about an orphaned girl named Lirael that hates her life and even becomes suicidal at moments. She hates herself because she is different. She is part of the Clayr and she does not have the sight! She can't see into the future as her aunt and her thousands of cousins can. She feels out of place and alone. She is forced to continue wearing the blue robes a child because she has not yet been seen by the Clayr. Her one dream is to be a normal Clayr, but all this changes when she meets the Disreputable Dog and finds a mysterious book hidden in the Clayrs' library. The book seemed to be placed there just for her, hoping the one day she would stumble upon it. Perhaps she was not meant to see into the future, but into the past! She then goes on a journey based only on one mysterious and vague vision of the 9 day watch. She leaves the Clayrs' glacier to try and save the entire kingdom from an ancient force that is trying to emerge. She learns much about her past, who she is, and is even reunited with long lost family members. Lirael is and excellent book, especially if you are a big fantasy/fiction reader. I really loved it! Posted July 26, 2005 (107) Hello. This is Jessica Markham.
Last week, I finished the latest Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the
Half-blood Prince. It was an excellent book, though not my favorite of
the Harry Potter series. It's so sad! In the book Harry is in his sixth
year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Voldemort is at
large and the Order of the Phoenix is working hard to keep him and his
Death Eaters at bay. Harry is believed to be the chosen one and is
fawned over by many girls at his school. He, however, has his eye on
someone else. Draco is up to something all year as Harry tries to prove
this to his friends and teachers. He thinks Snape is involved and
greatly questions Dumbledore's reasons for trusting him. He is an
ex-Death Eater, after all! Harry begins to excel in potions because of
some handwritten corrections he finds in a used textbook. The book once
belonged to someone called the Half-blood Prince. Harry is now having
private lessons with Dumbledore and is learning more and more about
Voldemort's past. Headmaster and student even find a way that they think
they can destroy the Dark Lord. Posted July 26, 2005 (106) Hey! This is Jessica Markham again. I am now writing about Garth Nix's sequel to Sabriel and Lirael. It is called Abhorsen and is a terrific book! In this book Lirael takes on the job of Abhorsen-in-waiting. She goes into Death to make sure the Dead stay there. She fights necromancers that bring the Dead from there resting places and triumphs of a great and ancient evil. She makes friends, which is something she did not do very well in the past. She also loses friends. In this book Lirael has to take charge to save the old kingdom and the surrounding countries. Many lives rest in her hands. Abhorsen was a sad book, but it was a very good book. I really liked it and would most definately recommend it to others to read. Just make sure you read the first two books first! Posted July 26, 2005 (105) Hey, this is Crystal Tsang again! This is book I'm going to tell you about is just awesome! It's called The Other Side of Dark by Joan Lowery Nixon! This exciting book is about this seventeen- year- old girl named Stacy who just woke up from a four- year coma. Four years ago, it was summer and Stacy went outside to get a sun tan, while her mom stayed at the house doing chores. Stacy heard a scream and she ran back to her house. The next thing she knew, she got shot ( on her hip) and fainted! Fours years later she finally woke up and she found out that her mom is dead! ( fours years ago!) and now she has to try to identify WHO murdered her mother and wounded her! Who in the world can this person be? Will she ever find out who? This is one of my favorite books! I just never got tired of reading it! Hopefully you will love it, too! Posted July 25, 2005 (104) Hi, this is LISA ROBERTS and I just finished the latest book in The Princess Diaries series. It is the sixth book, called PRINCESS IN TRAINING.
In this book, Lilly has elected Mia to run for Student Council President. Mia does not want to be president, but Lilly does, so she comes up with this plan for Mia to run and beat Lana and then step down and let Lilly be president. As if that wasn't enough, she still has princess lessons, a little brother to help care for, Geometry, which turns out to be as hard as Algebra, and she gets her very first B on an English assignment. She is also feeling as if there is no point in getting up in the mornings, because Michael is at college, so she doesn't get to see him every morning. She is sent over the edge when Lana whispers something in her ear in the lunch line about what she thinks college boys expect of their girlfriends. She is under so much stress she just breaks down in the middle of school, but she does get some good news out of it all: The snails are doing their job in the Mediterranean Sea. Posted July 25, 2005 (103) Hi, this is LISA ROBERTS and I just finished a great book called THE PRINCESS DIARIES, by Meg Cabot.
This book is a lot like the movie, but then again many things were changed in the movie. It is about a girl named Mia Thermopolis who thinks she is just an ordinary teenager, living in Manhattan with her mom in a typical loft. One day her Dad calls and wants to talk to her mother, but she isn't there, so he keeps calling, but won't tell Mia what it is about. Then he shows up in New York and tells Mia that he is the prince of Genovia and that she is the princess heir, because he has cancer and cannot have anymore kids. Mia begins princess lessons, with Grandmere, her grandmother and she is given a makeover, so that she looks more like a princess, all in preparation for her speech at Christmas in Genovia, stating that she is Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo. Posted July 25, 2005 (102) Hi, this is LISA ROBERTS and I'd like to recommend to you the second book in the Princess Diaries series, PRINCESS IN THE SPOTLIGHT.
This is a continuation of the book THE PRINCESS DIARIES and in this book, things dealing with her being the Princess of Genovia, get out of control. Her grandmother (Grandmere) arranges a national primetime interview for her, but what should be just a simple, innocent interview, turns out horrible. She gets her best friend, Lilly extremely angry with her and she almost gets a teacher at Albert Einstein High School (where she attends) fired. Throughout all of this, she finds out her mother is pregnant with her algebra teachers child and she is getting wonderful letters from her secret admirer, though not the guy she wishes it would be. Posted July 25, 2005 (101) Hi, this is LISA ROBERTS again and I'd like to recommend PRINCESS IN LOVE, which is the third book in The Princess Diaries series.
In this book, Mia is dating a boy named Kenny. The problem though, is that Mia isn't in love with Kenny. She is in love with her best friend, Lilly's, brother, Michael. With finals, the Christmas dance, and her leaving for Genovia all coming up, she wants to break up with Kenny, but not until finals are over and she wants to go to the dance with Michael. She thinks that Michael is dating a girl named Judith Gershner, though he really isn't...they are just working on the computer club's booth for the carnival. She sends him cards, signing them anonymously and hopes he likes her too. At the end of the semester, at the carnival, she goes to his booth, just because she promised she would to watch his program he created. She thinks she is about to "tour the school" and look at the faculty dressed funny and all, when really he created a special program just for her. When she watches it, she is amazed, but thinks he is making fun of her, but he is really in love with her too. Her grandmother talks her into going to the dance that night, even though she doesn't have a date and she ends up having a lovely time with Michael and she realizes then he likes her too. The night turns out wonderful, and she clears everything up, plus gets a boyfriend, the one she truly loves all before she leaves for Genovia the next day. Posted July 25, 2005 (100) Hi, this is LISA ROBERTS and I just finished another great book in The Princess Diaries series. This is the fourth book, and it is called PRINCESS IN WAITING.
In this book, Mia is in Genovia and she is proposing the installation of public parking meters. Though many of the cabinet members disagree, her father, the prince, fights on her side. While in Genovia, she is forced by her Grandmere to follow a very busy schedule, leaving her very little time to talk to Michael, who is at his grandparents condo in Florida. She is counting down the days till she is able to see him again and finally go on a real date. When she gets back, he asks her to dinner and a movie on the next Friday night. She agreed, after permission from her 8 month pregnant mother. Her Grandmere calls and talks to her mother, who agreed to let Mia go to a Black and White ball being thrown, which happened to be the same night as her date. Her mother had completely forgotten about the date, because when she agreed, she was quite with the program. Mia hates to tell Michael about it, but is eventually forced to, and she thinks he will break up with her after it. As a result, she gets prepared for the news and after the ball, she goes to his house and he asks her if she is hungry, so they go to eat veggie burgers and watch the Star Wars movie, that they were supposed to see at the dinner theater. She talks to him and realizes he truly is in love with her, and she isn't just his little sister's best friend. Posted July 25, 2005 (99) Hi, this is LISA ROBERTS and I just finished another great book in The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot. This book is the fifth one and it is called PRINCESS IN PINK.
In this book, things are starting to look up for Mia, the only problem is, Michael hasn't asked her to prom, which is in two weeks. It has been her dream all of her life to go, and now she has the opportunity, her only opportunity for three years. Michael though, does not have this same dream. He thinks that prom is lame. Another problem has occurred too. Because of Grandmere's dog, Rommel, and an incident at Mia's birthday dinner, resulting in a busboy being fired, the service workers have gone on strike thanks to Lilly. Prom has been canceled, but Grandmere saves the day and when Mia tells Lana the wonderful news, she has one condition, that Michael's band, Skinner Box gets to be the band to play. Posted July 25, 2005 (98) hey everybody, this is Crystal Tsang, and i just finished reading this great book called Because of Winn- Dixie by Kate DiCamillo!
It's about a young girl named India Opal Buuloni talking about her last year's summer and how and where she found this unforgetable dog! Opal( her dad likes to call her Opal) since her dad is a preacher, they moved to Naomi, Florida, so he could be the new preacher at the Open Arms Baptist Church of Naomi. One day, " the preacher" told Opal to go to the grocery store to buy some tomatoes, some white rice, and a box of macaroni- and- cheese, who would guess that's HOW she found this smart and funny dog, what will happened to them?
This is a very excellent book, i'd LOVE to recommended this book to everyone! By the way, after you finished reading this book, i'm sure you'll find out WHY this book is called Because of Winn- Dixie! ( so, enjoy!) Posted July 25, 2005 (97) Hey,this is Hannah Ross,I just read a really great book THE STORY OF A SEAGULL AND THE CAT WHO TAGHT HER TO FLY by Luis Sepulveda.it's about a cat named Zorba.A dying seagull lands on his balcony and in her dying breathes she tells him she's going to lay her last egg and she makes him make her three promises,one of them is to teach the baby seagull how to fly.Can Zorba and his buddies teach the baby seagull how to fly?Read it and see I reccomend this book to anyone. Posted July 25,
2005 (96) Hello, fellow readers, this is once again Morgan Jones. This Sunday, I finished this latest Harry Potter book, entitled HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE. In this latest installment, Harry and his friends enter their sixth year at Hogwarts, Voldemort and his death eaters are at large, and the war against them is being waged. The Order of the Phoenix loses members, and Lupin goes underground. The prophet is proclaiming that Harry is the chosen one and there is a new minister of magic. At school Malfoy is doing something very mysterious that Harry can't seem to uncover and even though people are dying, school still holds it's charms and soon teenagers are falling in love, and Harry is quidditch captain and winning games. Harry's suspicions about Snape have multiplied, and Harry has found a book that begins to help him not only excel in potions, but also learn ingenious new hexes and jinxes, called The Half-Blood Prince. What is Malfoy up too, what is Voldemort up to, is Harry justified in his worries about Snape, and who is the Half-Blood Prince? And what kind of losses will Harry and the Order have to sustain before discovering the answers? I really enjoyed this book, I do love reading the Harry Potter books and it was very interesting. There is a lot about Voldemort's past and it was all very interesting as I already said. It was really funny, but also sad too. I feel bad for Harry a lot because there seem to be a lot of girls around with love potions who are intent on catching him! If you read it, you will really enjoy this book. It explains a lot about how Voldemort survived.
Ah the joys of summer, fellow readers. Just joking, but I have been busy, but don't worry I have been reading! I just recently finished reading THE PROPHECY OF THE STONES by the 15 year old literary sensation, Flavia Bujor. Set in the lands ruled by the order of twelve, three girls-Jade, Opal, and Amber-, on the eve of their 14th birthdays, receive a precious stone and the truth about their lives. Finally realizing that they did not live with their true families and that their lives until then were not their own. Unified by their new found stones and a prophecy connected to the stones, the three set out on a journey to the land of Fairytale. Fairytale being the only free land not ruled by the order of twelve, full of the magical creatures and people who escaped. When the three escape into Fairytale with the help of a knight who had been captured, they find that a "chosen one" had not been found, and that Fairytale is on the brink of war. Soon the three are once again traveling, but to discover the prophecy and try and find the chosen one. In a parallel world a young girl in a hospital in Paris is dying. Joa, or Joanna, soon dreams of the world of the prophecy and she soon she is living in her dream, keeping her alive and giving her hope. In the parallel world of Fairytale Jade, Opal, and Amber soon find themselves fighting to save Fairytale and free the other ruled villages but Fairytale's fate may not be the only one heaved upon their shoulders, but so is Joa's fate, hope, and dream. I really enjoyed this book, it was sooooooooooo interesting. I think that is so awesome how a girl my age could write a novel of this intensity. I feel like she's written out and spun a tale out of all my bizarre dreams and made them seem all the more wonderful. I enjoyed reading about everything in this book, it was a marvelous creation and I love how much it inspired my own imagination. This novel has become one of my favorites and I feel like calling all my friends and recommending it. I loved the portrayal of the battle for life on two fields and loved how the imagination of Joa was keeping her alive and giving her hope, her dream helped her to truly live. I hope that anyone who picks up this book gives it a chance because it is truly a work of a wonderful imagination and it inspired my own. - Morgan Jones Posted July 25, 2005 (94) I just finished a wonderful book called the 'Upstairs Room' by Johanna Heiss. It is about a jewish family during World War 2. They find out by neighbors and friends that the Nazis are coming to their town. The three girls father decide to send them away, but can't find a family willing to take all 4 people into their house. Their mother is in the hospital and is dying, so he doesn't have to find a place for her to go since she will be safe in the hospital. The father sends the to youngest daughters off together and him and the oldest daughter have to go off on their own. Most of this book tells about the 4 terrible years that the youngest girls had to spend in hiding. The girls never got to go outside, go downstairs, or have enough to eat. At the end of the story, it explains what happened to the rest of their family. This book is the best book I have ever read. -Mollie Jones Posted July 25, 2005 (93) Once again questing in the realm of Camelot, I have discovered a new tale of the adventures which King Arthur and his knights of the round table take part in. A little more dark with ancient magic, more serious concerning the actions of characters, and ultimately richer in expanding the persona of the fabled greats. T.H. White's The Once and Future King is an enthralling story divided into four "books" which follows the lives of young Arthur, Sir Lancelot, Guenevere and the Orkney faction. Although written as a companion to another Arthur book, descriptions of the legends are detailed enough that it is unnecessary to read both. Most enjoyable is the references back to more present day times with cricket matches and democratic governments, which the author uses to compliment the similarities between our worlds of civilization.
The first book, The Sword in the Stone, is the introduction to young Wart as he dreams to be a knight like his brother Kay, only to find his tutor Merlin and plenty of glory as he finds the legendary sword. Merlin teaches him how to think by watching how other creatures live their lives, and by transforming into fish, birds, and even ants. The second book introduces the young Orkney brothers and their treacherous, witch mother Morgause. It is the meet of these two families which will cause distress and pain for all in the end. The ill made knight, or book three follows Sir Lancelot's rise to be the greatest knight in the world while highlighting a few of his famous adventures. The last and most tragic book is when the young have ripened into old age, becoming a figure greater in the minds of England than ever known.
Altogether, this story tells of the olden days and the beginnings of a great civilized nation while sparking questions to ponder after closing its pages. By introducing what causes warfare, how assumptions and long drawn out feuds can tear nations apart, and comparing conventions of love by today's standard, the author aides his readers in making decisions as great as the ones who came before our time. Gemma Leszczewski encourages anyone willing to spend the time to learn of the mistakes of the past and attempt to build over them. Posted July 25, 2005 (92) Hello, this is Charity Simmons again. If you remember, I sent in a book review on book number one in the series called THE SALEM YEARS. Now, I want to tell you about book number two of the same series. It is titled, THE STOWAWAY, by Nancy Rue. In this story, Josiah Hutchinson is being sent to Salem Town to be educated by one of the worst known teachers around! But before he leaves, he meets an interesting young man, Joseph Putnam, whose family has been feuding with Josiah's for years! But surprisingly, Joseph is not like any of the other Putnam's, and Josiah and his family begin to like him very much. So they agree to let Joseph take Josiah to Salem Town, where Joseph will tutor Josiah, instead of the horrid school teacher. And not only that, but Josiah gets to stay with Philip English, a man of great wealth, who owns many ships. Josiah's life seems perfect, until he runs into Simon. Simon is an orphan, who not only works on a ship for Philip English, but is constantly teasing Josiah. One day when Josiah goes on board the ship, the ADVENTURE without permission, Simon catches him, and forces Josiah to bring him many cakes Mr. English's house or else he'll reveal what Josiah did.Josiah knows that he'll be sent back home if anyone finds out, so every night he sneaks cakes and other treats to Simon, feeling guilty every time. And after he has a talk with Joseph Putnam, he realizes what he must do. This is a very interesting book with action and suspense. I recommend this book to both boys and girls who like some adventure. Posted July 25, 2005 (91) Hiyah! This is Hannah Simmons again! I have a GREAT book to tell you about! It's called THE BLACK PEARL by Scott O'Dell. I was assigned this book for a summer activity report, and I want to assure you, it rocks! Ramon Salazar lives in Baja,California, a small village filled with many mysterious people and many superstitions. The greatest superstition is that of the legendary Manta Diablo, a horrible monster who lurks in the bay. The superstious indians who live in the village say that Manta Diablo is a man who was once driven from Baja Village, and who seeks his revenge upon the village people if they cross his path. Ramon has never believed this legend, until one day he comes face to face with the source of the manta's power. Ramon's father owns a pearl boat, where Ramon dreams of some day working. To prove himself, he asks an indian to train him in the art of diving for pearls. While working with the indian, Ramon discovers the entrance to a deep, dark cave in the bottom of the ocean. When he enters the cave, he finds a giant clam which he brings with him to the surface. When the indian opens the clam, he and Ramon find a black pearl twice as big as Ramon's fists put together! Ramon is overjoyed at finding the pearl, for he is certain that his father will let him dive on his boat. But the indian has different ideas. He believes that this is the mythical Pearl of Heaven, the pearl that gives Manta Diablo his power to change from human to manta. Ramon scoffs at the indian's superstition, until a series of bad events begin to plague his life.Then, a stranger appears in the town. Could this bethe Manta? Has he really come to take revenge out on Ramon? The Black Pearl, by Scott O'Dell, is a wonderful book and is sure to please a wide range of readers.I would reccomend it to readers ages 13 and up. I'msure you will enjoy it as much as I did. Well, I'll be back when I have another great adventure for you.'Till then, enjoy the book! Posted July 25, 2005 (90) Hello, this is Charity Simmons, and I want to tell you about the wonderful book I read called, STRAWBERRY GIRL, by Lois Lenski. This story takes place in the 1800's and tells the story of Birdie Boyer and her family, who move to Florida. When they arrive, they meet the Slaters--the family next door who seems to insist on causing trouble. The two fathers are in a constant battle about who owns the property around the watering hole, and Birdie is always in a fight with the middle child, Jeff, or 'Shoestring', Slater. The fathers soon start to kill one another's livestock and even steal some too. Not only that, the Slaters also try to ruin the family's strawberry crop-- the thing Birdie loves the most. The fued is taken too far when the Slaters set fire to the woods, with the Boyer's house in its path. Things finally start to calm down when Mrs. Slater gets sick and her two oldest boys and husband leave. Once they are gone, Mrs. Boyer and Birdie must care for Mrs. Slater. Soon, Mrs. Slater is on her way to recovery, and a minister is near with encouraging words. Everything seems just fine...until Mr. Slater returns. This book was very interesting, and I've read it at least three times! I recommend this book to both boys and girls, especially if you like western stories! Posted July 25, 2005 (89) Hello, my name is Charity Simmons and I want to tell you about the book LOVE,RUBY LAVENDER, by Deborah Wiles. The story starts when young Ruby Lavender and her grandmother, Eula Dapplevine, try to rescue chickens from their cruel owner, who plans to serve them all as dinner. They manage to escape with three chickens; Bemmie, Ivy and Bess, and all the trouble begins after that. Ruby is constantly picked on by a bully named Melba Jane, who has always had a grudge on Ruby for something her late grandfather did. To make matters worse, Ruby discovers she is no longer her grandmother's only granddaughter. Ruby is shocked to find out she now has another grandchild, and is going to Hawaii to see her! Not only is Ruby now lonely, she's jealous of sharing Eula's affections. Her loneliness ends though, when an interesting young girl called Dove moves into boring old Halleluia, Mississippi. But Melba Jane is determined to turn Dove against Ruby; and it seems she will after Ruby accidentally ruins Melba's acting career. I loved all of the comedy and cried over all of the sad parts of this amazing story. It shows how to love and how to forgive and forget. I love this book, and highly recommend it to all girls. Posted July 25, 2005 (88) I recently finished Hatchet, a story of a teenage boy, Brian Robeson, and how he has to live in the wilderness after a plane crash, when he is going to see his divorced father. This story tells of his actions and decisions while in the wild. Gary Paulsen is very descriptive when recounting the events that happened during Brian's stay. Occasionally, he gets a little bit too descriptive and I just wanted him to hurry up and move on to the next event, but overall, he found a good balance never-ending descriptions and just glossing over stuff. I found this book very interesting. I also have read and enjoyed the other books in this series: Brian's Winter and Brian's Return. I think anyone that can deal with mildly graphic descriptions and finds wilderness survival interesting will like this book. Blake Badders. Posted July 13, 2005 (87) Hi, Blake Badders again. The Crossing, by Gary Paulsen, is a story about a fourteen year old boy growing up on the streets of a Mexican city. It tells of his plans to escape and all the enemies he has. As he is attempting to go to the North, he ends up meeting an army sergeant. This is the story of their lives when they meet. Paulsen isn't as descriptive in this book as he was in his other two stories I read. He focused more on certain thoughts and ideas in the story, and kept reiterating these. I really didn't like this book too much. I wasn't into all the "street" stuff that went on and all the things that would happen in the slums. I don't really suggest this book to anyone. I would strongly urge you to be over 13 when reading it, but I don't think you would want to read it anyway. Posted July 13, 2005 (86) It's Blake Badders doing a report. Wolfman, by Gary Paulsen, is a book about a boy whose parents are always drunk, so he has to be taken away. He is sent to live with his Uncle Harold and the rest of Harold's family. He gets used to living on a farm with Uncle Harold and stops thinking about his home. He begins to hunt more and more with his cousin, Carl. On one of these hunts, they come across a shack, and the boy's life is changed forever... I really enjoyed this book. I think anyone that is interested in reading about a boy who lives on a farm and the story of his adventures will enjoy this book. Posted July 13, 2005 (85) Hi, this is LISA ROBERTS and I just finished two great books in the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series. They are THE SECOND SUMMER OF THE SISTERHOOD and GIRLS IN PANTS, the Third Summer of the Sisterhood. These both are great books in the series, along with the first one.
In "The Second Summer of the Sisterhood," after so many years being away from her Grandmother, Bee goes to Alabama for the summer and pretends to be someone else, although all along, her Grandmother knew it was her. Mean while, Carmen is back at home struggling with relationships with guys. Tibby is at a photo class in Virginia and Brian likes her, though she doesn't realize it. And Lena is at home missing Kostos and Greece.
In "Girls in Pants," it is the summer after their high school graduation and they are all trying to decide on college and Bee is at soccer camp, trying to avoid Eric (from the first book) and doesn't succeed with it. Carmen is taking care of Lena's grandmother, who hates the US and wants to go back to Greece, and Carmen meets a guy named, Win at the hospital, who she falls in love with. While Tibby is grieving over having left open her bedroom window and her sister falling out of it. She is also trying to avoid Brian. In the end, will Carmen and Win get together? Will Tibby and Brian get together? What will happen to Bee and Eric? What will happen to Lena and to her Grandmother? I guess you will have to read the books to find out! Posted July 13, 2005 (84) Hello, hello, hello! This beez Morgan Jones with a review on another exciting book. The title of this "exciting" book is THE FORETELLING by Alice Hoffman, a rather intriguing, short novel about the Amazons. Set in a time of warfare for the Amazon queens and women warriors, Rain is born. Brought into life out of sorrow, despair, cowardice, and injustice. The daughter of the queen, she is forgotten by her mother and left to others to raise. But she is not simply a girl, but a girl with power and special talent. A girl who is expected to continue in a reign of blood but who believes in something more. A girl who in a reign of violence sees past the bloodshed and feels emotions that set her apart. A girl who can look into the future and wonders constantly about things unheard of; men, mercy, hope, and love. This is an interesting book about the Amazon's culture, a coming of age, the changing of cultures and the ability to transform violence into peace. Even though I enjoyed this book, it wasn't one of my favorites and some parts were a bit painful. I would not recommend this book to everybody, but some people will like it. This is an easy read that is very educational and I enjoyed learning some new things about the Amazons. Posted July 13, 2005 (83) Hi everyone! This is Hannah
Simmons, and I just HAVE to tell you about a great book I finished
reading. Louise is a girl full of
dreams! She loves a challenge, and her friendship is always there
for anyone. Louise can't wait until she's old enough to leave her
small home in Chesapeake Bay and go out All her life it seems that Catherine has stolen Louise's dreams away from her. She ( Catherine ) is always praised by the townspeople for be a ' talented angel ' and Louise is never given any credit for her talents. Everyone loves Catherine, seemingly hates Louise, and the worst part is Louise's taunting grandmother who constantly chants, " Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated," comparing Louise and her sister to the Biblical twins. Louise is certain she will be held forever while her sister excells in everything, and gets the promotion of both parents. It is not until a strange man comes to the island that Louise finally discovers her true destiny, and gives it her all to make it come true. I loved this book because it
showed the story of a girl who was trying desperately to make her dreams
come true, despite what her parents, sister, and grandmother told her.
She didn't let go of her ambitions, even when they didn't seem possible,
and Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson, is a wonderful book that I would reccomend for teens ages 14 and up. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did. Posted July 13, 2005 (82) Hi everyone! My name is Hannah Simmons and I've just read a wonderful book called THE CASE OF THE BAKER STREET IRREGULAR by Robert Newman. Andrew has grown up without his mother, never knowing who he really was. When he arrives in London, England with a trusted family friend, he finds a whole world of adventure. As several strange robbies begin to occur, Andrew is certain a mystery is just waiting for him. But soon, he is separated from his friends, and finds himself lost in the dark alleys of the lower town. The only person he can trust is a dark stranger who seems to know everything about him, including the secrets of Andrew's past. The Case of the Baker Stree Irregular, by Robert Newman, was a thrilling mystery that kept me in suspense with every chapter. I love the characters, and I'm sure that anyone will enjoy reading this book. Posted July 13, 2005 (81) Hi this is Hannah Ross again.I also read THE DARK HILLS DIVIDE by Patrick Carman.It's awesome.it's #1 in the trilogy,the other 2 are coming out fall of this year and summer of next year.I acn't wait to read them.I read this one and couldn't put it down.I hope you read and enjoy it! Posted July 13, 2005 (80) Hi,this is Hannah Ross again.I just read a really great book,OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA by Jennifer L. Holm.May,who is the only girl ever born in the new settlement,is a tomboy.Everyone is always telling her she needs to be a proper young lady and that she's a no good girl.She has 7 brothers,but one is really her cousin,Her 2 favorite brothers are Wilbert and Wendell.When someone is mean to her Wilbert sticks up for her.Wendell is always making her dolls new clothes.May is always getting hurt because she acts so much like a boy,but will she get badly hurt next time? Posted July 13, 2005 (79) Hello teen readers, this is Morgan Jones and I just finished a marvelous fantasy novel. THE DARK HILLS DIVIDE by Patrick Carman. Although this book may seem a little juvenile because the heroine is only twelve, or because it isn't that long....don't be fooled! All her life Alexa Daley has lived inside the confining walls surrounding the cities and their roads. Ever since they were built by Warvold to expand their world without constantly fearing the outside, no one has left them and most everyone is perfectly content to simply sit inside them safe and un-daring. But that won't stop Alexa from trying her best to find a way out of them. She is filled perhaps with too much curiosity than is good for her, causing her to constantly get into trouble with Pervis, the head guard who is dead against anything outside the walls, and anyone who is too ready to see what lyes outside of them. But once Warvold dies, all he has built and accomplished starts to unravel like a great tapestry, Alexa will find herself discovering not only a way outside the walls that were built to protect them, but also a greater threat that may come from inside the walls themselves. This is the first book in The Land of Elyon books and Carman's first novel and I really enjoyed reading it. It was on familiar ground for me, being fantasy and all, but it was also very original. I loved being able to identify with all the hilarious and varying characters. Posted July 11, 2005 (78) book review by Crystal Tsang Title: Things Not Seen By: Andrew Clements Things not seen is a great book about a fifteen- year- old boy, Booby, who wakes up one morning and find himself.....INVISIBLE! That's right, when NO ONE can see him! From that day on, his life changed! The only people he could talk to was his parents. On the same day he got invisible, his parents got a car crash!( great, everything bad just had to happen to him on the same day!) Then one day, she met this blind girl named Alicia at the library, who is very kind, gentle, funny, etc. With no other choice, he told her about his " problem", she accepted( finally) and they become close friends by supporting each other! About a month went by, Bobby was still insivible, since his parents told the school that he got the flu, but guess the nurse is not as stupid as they think, she thinks that a student can't possibly be sick for a month, she called for help, ( find people to go to Bobby's house to know more about him!) since she was scare that his parents try to hurt him or something, they went through all the trouble, and now they have only five days to make Bobby go back to " NORMAL!" So... can Bobby's parents and Alicia help his find a way to help Bobby? Will he ever go back to the "normal" Bobby? Posted July 11, 2005 (77) This is Olivia Byrd again with another book review. I haven't been sending in book reviews but I have been reading! The book is Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan.
This book takes place in Modesta, Michigan. It's about an after school club called Daughters of Eve. It has a high reputation for having the most popular girls in there although the club does not discriminate against weight or prettiness problems. Irene Stark is the club's "counselor" and she soons coax the girls in to thinking that the men are ordering women to do all of their "normal" jobs. (I know this doesn't make sense but it will really make sense if you read the book.) This launches into a series of events.
This is a must-keep-page-turning book. Lois Duncan is a very good author that has written many teen suspense books. I recommended her books for every teenager to read. Posted July 11,
2005 (76) this is LISA ROBERTS and I'd like to recommend a good book I just finished reading. The book is called THE DEAR ONE by Jacqueline Woodson.
This book is about a girl named Afeni (Feni is her nickname) who lives with her single mom, because her dad left them for another woman, which he now lives with in Colorado, with his new daughter. Feni goes to a private school and only has one friend, Caesar. Feni's mother received a call from a friend from college, Clair who is living off of welfare, with a bunch of children and her oldest, Rebecca, who is only 15 is pregnant. Feni's mother has offered for Rebecca to come live with them until the baby comes. Feni doesn't like the idea, but cannot change her mother's mind. She will not let Rebecca stay in her Grandmother's old room, because even though she has passed away, she will not let go of the memories. The only other room is always cold, so her mother will not let Rebecca stay there, so she ends up sleeping on a cot in Feni's room. The two of them argue a lot in the beginning, and Feni hates Rebecca, but they warm up to each other and grow a wonderful friendship. After Rebecca has her baby girl Afeni, named after her new bestfriend and the baby is adopted, Feni doesn't want Rebecca to leave. Rebecca must go home to help out her mother and care for her siblings. Though they had a rough start, a wonderful friendship finally came!
Posted July 5, 2005 (73) Books reviews by Crystal Tsang (72)
Title: Lucinda's Secret Author: Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
This is the 3rd book of the Spiderwick series. Since the kids wanted to know more about the Field Guide, they decided to visit their great- aunt Lucinda. Then they lost the book, where could it be? Where in the world is Timbletack? Later they found a map to find out more about Arthur Spiderwick at his secret library, did he really die? If he's alive, where could he be? They followed the map and bumped into a Phooka, a creature who has a body of a monkey with short, blackish brown speckled fur and a long tail, a thick ruff of fur surrounded its neck, its face was rabbity, with long ears and whiskers! HUH???? What about the unicorn? What's with the elves? Oh no, they got Jared, how'd he ever get away? Will they ever let him go? Where is that Field Guide? What really happened to Arthur? What IS Lucinda's secret?
Title: I Know What You Did Last Summer Author: Lois Duncan
This is very entertaining if you like to read really scary books! This book is about four friends, two couples, Julie and Ray; Helen and Barry accidently killed a kid while driving one summer night.Three agreed to run away and swear NOT to tell anyone! Only one wanted to called the police, but since it was their last summer together, next year they were going off to College, and didn't want to ruin their whole live in front of them by going to prison, especially when Barry was drinking. They decided to leave. They kept their secret and NEVER told anyone about what happened exactly like they promised, until one year later, Julie received a letter that said: I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER! They started to freaked out! Then day by day, the others got "surprises", too! Did someone see them hit the kid? Did one of them tell? Who could it be? And most important of all, what will happen to them at the end? If you love this book, remember to see the movie! by the way, grab your pillow before you start watching it! ; ) Posted July 5, 2005 (71) Book reviews by Crystal Tsang
Title: Nothing But The Truth Author: Avi
This book is about a ninth- grader, Philip Malloy, saying that he was being patriotic by singing the National Anthem while he was suppose to be silent while the school plays that song every morning during homeroom! His teacher asked him to stop, and be respectful, but he wouldn't listen to her and did exactly what he did the day before, without any other choice, she sent him to see the asst. principal, and he warned him, but Philip would never obey, so he got suspended! Philip didn't want to tell his parents the truth- that he just wanted attendtion and annoyed the teacher , he told his parents that he got suspended for singing the National Athem, Mr. Malloy got mad and told his friend and got the problem on the newspaper, people who read the newspaper got mad for seeing such a patriotic student get suspended and said they want to get his teacher fired! Only Philip's classmates and Philip know the truth. Well, he got his wish, but he never meant to make this whole thing into a....LIE! Will his teacher get fired? Will Philip tell the truth? Posted July 5, 2005 (70)
Title: To Kill A Mockingbird Author: Harper Lee
It talks about back then when it was about 1930s- Alabama during the Great Depression. It's about a little girl named Scout Finch talking about her life including her older brother, Jem, met a friend one summer, their neighbors, etc. During the depression many people were out of work due to the stock market crash of 1929. Atticus ( Scout and Jem's dad, who's a lawyer) bartered (synonym for trading) for food and accepted other methods of payment from his clients because so many of them were unemployed. So, instead of money, Atticus would take cotton, potatoes, corn, etc. One of the cases Atticus had to face was to save an African American, will the judges and Americans in the court listen to him? What happened? It's really hard to explain the story, but it's a very good, i learned a lot! just read it! Posted July 5, 2005 (69) Hello, this is Morgan Jones. I just finished a extremely long book called BARD: THE ODYSSEY OF THE IRISH by Morgan Llywelyn. BARD is the story of a Gaelic bard, surprisingly enough, named Amergin, and the coming of his people to the place we now know as Ireland. It is in short, the story of the Celts. BARD is based around two cultures and their collision, though some would say that one of them was never even a culture but merely a mythology. First is the world of the bard Amergin, who lives among strong, Celtic warriors and mythical druids. He does not fit in with the warriors even though he is agile enough to be one of them and even though being Bardagh automatically deems him a druid, he finds an enemy among his brothers here. It seems that when the land around them starts to fall apart, as well as their clans and their brotherhood, half of their population must look to a new home. The bard has dreamed of a land far away that has yet to be settled, Ierne. Ierne is different to many of the Celts. To the warriors it will be sword land, ruled by war; to Amergin's enemy Colptha the sacrificer, it will be the land of sacrifice, ruled by the spilling of blood; To Amergin, Ierne represents the chance to stop the wars and live peacefully without the need for bloodshed and the separation of brothers, Bard land, a land of poetry and peace. But there is are natives on Ierne and while the warriors are eager to conquer the land for themselves, Amergin believes that they do not have to fight these new people who have captured his heart. Which will prevail in this new land of Ireland, the word or the weapon? Which will truly create the people of the new land, sword or harp? I really enjoyed this book, and I loved how it ended. It had one of those closing sentences that just makes your skin get goosebumps because it is so clenching and poetic. Posted July 1, 2005 (68) Hi, this is LISA ROBERTS and I would like to recommend a book called MY SECRET BOYFRIEND by Lurlene McDaniel.
This book is about a girl named Jordan Starling, who is an eighth grader at Martin Junior High School in Dallas, Texas. She has just returned from a month of vacationing in the Rockies with her family. When she returns to school, her friends all have boyfriends and they ask her what special guys she met over the summer. So, even though she didn't meet any, she makes up a story about a guy she met, though really it is only a childhood friend, Ryan Elliot. Her mother just received a picture of him in the mail, so Jordan sticks it in her wallet and takes it to school to show her friends. She tells them that she will never see him again, but then her mother breaks the news to her and her brother, Jamey, that Ryan and his mother, Beth (who just recently went through a divorce) would be coming to live with them for a few months until Beth could find a job and get an apartment. Little did Jordan know, that a few little lies, would grow into a big mess with Ryan and he begins to hate her. I will not tell you what happens after that on a spring break trip to the lake and whether or not they ever make up, so go ahead and read it to find out for yourself! I really enjoyed this book and I hope you will too! Posted June 29, 2005(67) Hi, this is Hannah Ross ,I just read a great book called BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE.It's about a girl named India Opal Buloni.This book is really great,it's funny and interesting.Her father is a pastor and they had to move down to Naomi,Florida so he could preach at a church.she finds Winn-Dixie at the grocery store and instantly likes him.Her Dad has told her before that she don't need a dog,but she takes him home with her anyway.Will her Dad let her keep him or not? Posted June 29, 2005 (66) Hey, this is Crystal Tsang, and I'm writing a book review for this book called The Spiderwick series's Book 1- THE FIELD GUIDE by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. This book is about a nine- year-old boy called Jared Grace, who had to move to a very old and creepy house where their great- aunt Lucinda lived since Jared, his identical twin, Simon, and thirteen- year-old sister, Mallory's parents got a divorce. Jared hated this place at the beginning, until he found this big book about faeries written by Arthur Spiderwick( who's their great- aunt Lucinda's dad).He couldn't stop reading it. Then they noticed that at nights they heard noises and small footsteps, could there really be somebody or something besides the Graces who live in that house?! Then weird things started to happen to them, Mallory's long hair got knotted to the brass headboard and strange pattern of brauises on her arms, Simon's pet mices were gone, each of his tadpoles was frozen into a single cube in the tray, and so much more! Mrs. Graces thought it was Jared's doing since nothings had happened to him( yet), and wouldn't believe him when he said he didn't! Did Jared do all of the bad things? Or was he telling the truth when he said he didn't do it? Could it really be a "household Boggart" living with the Graces? I think this is a very interesting book, i like it a lot! I hope other people would love it, too! Posted June 28, 2005(65) Hey everybody, this is Crystal Tsang! This book I'm writing about is called The Ironwood Tree ( the fouth book of the Spiderwick series) by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. This book begins with Jared, Simon, and Mallory Grace and their mother going to Mallory's first fencing meet. After the meet, the boys found out that their older sister disappeared! They had to find her before their mom knows. Later they figured out that the dwarves had her in the quarry, the dwarves wanted to make a deal with them by they returning their sister and Jared and Simon giving the Field Guide ( a book that describes everything about faeries and other creatures) to them! In the quarry, they met the dwarf lord Korting and the ironwood tree, the Lord captured them and broke their promise once they give them the book, can Jared and Simon escape and save their sister? What's with the Goblins? And what will happen next? I think this is an very exciting book, and hope other people would read it, too! Posted June 28, 2005(64) Hey, this is Crystal Tsang! I just want you to know more about this fifth and the last book of the Spiderwick Chronicles- THE WRATH OF MULGARATH by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black! The fifth book started by picking up where the fouth book left off! Jared, Simon, and Mallory Grace returned home and found out that their house is distroyed( badly), and most important of all, they bad guys got their mom and going to do really BAD stuffs to her! The kids tried to plan out something before it was too late! Will a little help from everybody( that are on their side), a little luck, and a little bit of love, help them save their mon AND the world? Who exactly is Arthur Spiderwick anyway? What did he do? Want to know the bottom of this, READ all the Spiderwick Chronicle Series and find out! NOW! I just ADORE this book! It has a little bit of everything in it, by everything, i mean magic, mystery, fantasy, etc, you just have to read it! Posted June 28, 2005(63) Hi this is Caroline Gladden. I just read a book called BULL CATCHER by ALDEN R. CARTER.
This book is a good book for both girls and boys. It's about a boy, Niel "Bull" Larsen who loves baseball. It tells about his life (from sophomore year in high school to senior year) which pretty much revolves around baseball. He is a catcher on the varsity team. He also has to deal with girl problems and his mom who dumped him with his grandparents when he was about one years old. She now wants him to live with her in LA. This book isn't my favorite because I don't like baseball, but it's still pretty good. Posted June 28, 2005(62) Hey this is Caroline Gladden. I want to recommend a book called DARKEST HOUR (THE MEDIATOR) by MEG CABOT.
This book is kind of weird. It is about Suze a girl who can see and talk to ghosts. She has a summer job babysitting. She figures out that the boy she is babysitting can too. She has a ghost, Jesse, living in her bedroom who she is secretly in love with. Then her stepfather and stepbrother find that Jesse's body buried in the backyard. Another ghost Maria comes and haunts her because she killed Jesse and doesn't want to ruin her image. Told ya this book was wierd. I liked it though. Posted June 28, 2005(61) Hello this is Caroline Gladden. I want to recommend a book by CAROLINE COONEY called THE PARTY'S OVER.
This is a great book about a girl named Hallie. She finished high school and all her friends went to college and left her. She didn't want to go to college just because it didn't interest her. Her parents want her to get a job, but she can't find one she likes. Then her parents go off and leave her while they go around the country in an RV. She finally gets a job at the local marina as a secretary and starts her new life as Helen. Not Hallie. Posted June 28, 2005(60) Hey this is Caroline Gladden. I want to recommend a book called RULES OF THE ROAD by JOAN BAUER.
This book is about 16 year old Jenna Boller, an accomplished shoe salesman. She works for Gladstone Shoe Stores until one day Ms. Gladstone (the rich old owner of the company) asks her to be her driver for the summer. Jenna's mom doesn't agree to let her until Jenna's dad lends a hand. He shows up a Jenna's work drunk. This helps Jenna sway her mom by telling her she needs to get away from all that mess. Ms. Gladstone is on a road trip to Texas to turn the company over to her shifty no-good son. He is trying to sell cheaply made shoes under the Gladstone reputation for quality. Jenna will not stand for this and in the end saves the day. I really liked this book because it had a good strong female heroine. Posted June 28, 2005(59) Hello this is Caroline Gladden. This review is about a book called CELINE by BROCK COLE.
I didn't really like this book. It was kind of strange and hard to follow. It is about a girl Celine who is an artist. She befriends a boy next door and ends up babysitting him a lot. She is rather an eccentric artist tearing up one of her masterpieces and making a self-portrait into a monster. I really didn't like this book but that doesn't mean no one else will, so go ahead and read it and see what you think of it. Posted June 28, 2005(58) Hello this is Caroline Gladden. I would like to recommend a book by SUE ELLEN BRIDGERS called HOME BEFORE DARK.
It is about Stella Willis a 14 year old girl who moved with her family from Florida to the Willis homeplace in North Carolina. She charms most everyone she meets there. Then her mom commits suicide by hanging herself from the barn rafters by a chain. Stella then has to take care of the family. I like this book by Sue Ellen Bridgers better than All We Know of Heaven. Maybe because the protagonist was closer to my age. Posted June 28, 2005(57) Hi this is Ashleigh Barger with another good book called The Witch Of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. This book is about a girl named Kit Tyler. She did leave with her grandfather on a plantation on the island of Barbados. Suddenly her grandfather dies and has no more money so a boat comes and gets her called the "Dolphin" to live with her aunt and uncle and two cousins, Mercy and Judith in a puritan colony of Connecticut. Kit takes a job helping Mercy at a Dame School in their home, but the schoolmaster doesn't like the way she is teaching the kids so she loses her job. Then one day she meets a kind woman named Hannah Tupper who lives in the meadows. Hannah is very nice to her and loves her visits. During the cold winter, many of the town's people got real sick, including Mercy. The people of Wethersfield think Hannah put a spell on them to make them sick. Later the people go to arrest her but Kit gets there first and hides. Later they find out that Kit helped and now they think she is a witch also, so they arrest her and during the trail Nat comes to help her and leaves, but, later he come back and ask Kit's uncle for her hand and as they are leaving Kit notices that he has a new boat called the "Witch". Posted June 28, 2005(56) Hi, this is LISA ROBERTS and I'd like to recommend a good book I just finished reading, called CUBA 15. This book is about a girl named Violet Paz who has just turned 15. Her father is from Cuba and her mother is Polish. She doesn't know much about her Cuban background, because her father will not talk of it. When her abuelos (grandparents) come to town, her abuela wants to throw her a quinceanero, which is a celebration of a girl entering womanhood (generally when they turn 15). She doesn't really like the idea, but after reading a book about it, she starts to enjoy it. It is really interesting, because she HATES pink and DOESN'T like dresses. Both are things her abuela says are tradition. But in reading the book she was given about it, she realizes that there are no traditions. While battling with her abuelos and her parents about this party, she also has school, the speech team, and a special guy in her life. I won't say anything else about it, you'll have to read it yourself to find out what happens with the guy and with the party. Posted June 28, 2005(55) I've always thought that going back and reading easy novels really adds to your literary experience, and this novel is no exception. I couldn't put down Ray Bradbury's The Halloween Tree, which is a fast paced, purely imaginative tale about my favorite holiday. Travel through the past and land of the dead with the seven masqueraded young boys and their unusual guide on a hunt to discover what this special day really means, and what it is like to be a mummy, witch, or gargoyle!
The adventure is spurred by the urgent calling of the greatest boy in the world, Pipkin, who has been whisked away and must be found before it is too late. The thrill and horror embodied in their adventure through time is both suspenseful and a journey in itself for the reader. You can actually imagine flying on the broomsticks, smell the smoky air, and hear the raspy calling of the mummies. What keeps the pages turning are the answers Bradbury lucratively dangles in front, close enough to brush, but not enough to grasp. Each added clue heightened my curiosity in solving the mystery myself, and the nerve wracking situation surrounding the desperately lost Pipkin. Along the way, the strange and mysterious guide plays both tricks and treats on this long Halloween night, making you wonder what kind of being he really is. By the stroke of midnight, calm has flowed into the story as finally all the answers have been reached. The snuffing out of lighted jack-o-lanterns tickles your nose with the pungent vapor of a magic more real than imagined.
This book should be read by young and old readers alike. The experience makes you more appreciative of life and renews imaginations everywhere. Keep this title in your mind the next time you stop at the library in search of an adventure, and you can thank Gemma Leszczewski for some time well spent. Posted June 28, 2005(54) Hi everybody, this is Crystal Tsang! The book I'm writing about is The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares! The book is about four girls, Lena, Carmen, Tibby, and Bridget. They've been Best friends forever, and they spend every summer together until this year. They were very nervous because it is their first summer apart, and they are afraid that they will lose their close relationship because of that! Lena and her little sister, Effie, are going to Greece to visit their grandparents for two whole months. Bridget is flying off to soccer camp in Baja California (which turns out is in Mexico). Tibby is staying home. While Carmen, is going to South Carolina to hang out with her dad! About a few days before they are leaving, Carmen and Lena went shopping, and they had to buy something, and that's when Carmen saw those pants laying there for only $3.49 including tax! When they got home, all four friends were just hanging out when Tibby suggested to show them Carmen's pants. They were all curious, and all of them tried them on, even though all four friends had different height, weight, body, the pants fit perfectly on all of them (hmmm.... what's the odds of that?!) After that, they decided the pants have magical powers and from that day on, they called the pants " The Pants." Since they were going away, they had an excellent idea. They were going to keep in touch by mailing "The Pants" with a letter to whoever got picked next; keep them for a week, then pass them on! Want to know what happened over their first summer apart? Read this book and find out! I enjoyed reading this book a lot, and if you like it, I'm sure you'll love The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Movie! Also remember to read the sequel- The Second Summer of the Sisterhood! Posted June 20, 2005(53) Hey, this is Caroline Gladden and I'd like to recommend a book called SKELLIG by DAVID ALMOND. This book is very different. It really tests your imagination. It is about a boy named Michael. His parents have just moved into a new house with a broken-down garage in the backyard. Michael's baby sister was born too early and so she is very sick and in the hospital all the time. Michael's parents forbid him to go in the garage, so of course he goes in there. There he finds this old man who has arthritis (Skellig). Michael and his new friend/next door neighbor Mina help him to...well, I won't tell you everything. I'll let you read the book and find out for yourself.
Posted June 20, 2005(52) Hi, this is Caroline Gladden. I just read a great book by ELIZABETH ALDER, called KING'S SHADOW.
This is a great book. If you like historical fiction, you should read it. It's kind of sad because about the first chapter, the main character Evyn gets his tongue cut out for something his uncle does. Then his uncle sells him into slavery. Evyn then gets a new name, Shadow. His new mistress sends him to a monastery to learn how to write so he can communicate. He then helps the Earl of Wessex and eventually saves his life. He is set free from slavery and the Earl adopts him as his son. The Earl becomes king for a short time until William of Normandy comes for him. This is a really good book. It can be a little confusing to keep everyone's name straight, but the plot is a good one. Posted June 20, 2005(51) Hello, this is Caroline Gladden. I'd like to recommend NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH by AVI.
This book is about a 14 year old boy Philip Malloy who is suspended for singing the National Anthem. At least thats what all the newspapers try to claim. Really he was humming loudly when the rule was you were to remain respectfully silent. His homeroom teacher asked him to stop twice and he wouldn't. So she sent him to the principal. I liked this story because it was different than all the other scary novels Avi has written. It put the punishments and roles between teacher and student into a new perspective. Posted June 20, 2005(50) Hey this is Caroline Gladden and I'd like to recommend GO AND COME BACK by JOAN ABELOVE.
This book is about Alicia a girl who lives in the Peruvian Jungle. One day two "old" ladies (who are really about 28) come. They are anthropologists. Alicia immediately doesn't like them. To her, they look stingy. In time she helps them understand all the customs of her people and makes friends with them.
This is just an interesting book to read. You learn a lot about different customs and cultures. Posted June 20, 2005(49)
Posted June 20, 2005(48) Hello again, this is Morgan Jones and last night I finished the most wonderful book called JUSTICE HALL by Laurie R. King. After returning from their case of ghosts on Dartmoor, Russell and Holmes are enjoying a peaceful evening of what seems to be a perfect family picture. However knowing Russell and Holmes a case just can't seem to stay away for long, so here it comes the pounding on the door. Answering the door Mary finds no other than Ali Hazr, the daring Arab cutthroat, standing in the doorway in an Englishman's clothes! Injured, Ali simply brings a dramatic plea to Russell and then immediately faints. Soon Russell and Holmes find that Ali and his brother Mahmoud are not what they appeared to be in the Palestinian desert. They belong to one of the most well known and well-to-do families in England, the Hughenforts. Here they once again become Alistair Hughenfort and William Maurice Hugenfort. But something is troubling Alistair about Marsh (William Maurice), the last duke has died and Marsh must take his place. But Alistair knows that he is being suffocated by the duty when both their hearts long for Palestine. Russell and Holmes's noble efforts to find another heir to the name uncover the mystery of the death of the previous duke's only son in the army. Soon they both learn the burden of the family motto and it's irony that seems to kill. Justicia fortitudo mea est, Righteousness is my strength. Will Russell and Holmes be able to free Alistair and Marsh and uncover the unlucky son's murderer, or will it lead to something bigger? I really enjoyed this book. I mean really enjoyed it. By the end of it I felt like I knew Ali and Mahmoud all over again as well as Alistair and Marsh. I also enjoyed coming to know Gabriel, the soldier son. His life and death were especially interesting. I loved meeting all the new characters in this book like the Darling children (not from Peter Pan) who soon take a habit of following Alistair everywhere and become a spy team of sorts. I truly did enjoy this book, it has become one of my favorites. Posted June 20, 2005(47) Hi, this is Crystal Tsang, and the book that's beside me is called Othello by Satomi Ikezawa! This book is about a girl named Ya-ya, ( a funny name, huh?) Her mom died when she was very young, ever since she was a baby, no one likes to hang out with her, though she has no friends, she's very nice to other people, and believes that they are kind, the only reason people don't like her is because of her! Bacause she's an only child and her mother passed away, her dad is very strict, and it's a great thing that Ya-ya understands all the pressure that he was having. Things got worse and worse everyday, then one day, two popular girls ask Ya-ya to be their friend, with no other choices, she agreed! Later she found out that they were just using her, making her doing silly things so they can laugh at her, and tell her that they are her true friends after all the terrible things they tell to do. Ya-ya wants to stop being their " friend", but she just can't make herself to believe that Friends don't treat each other like that, also, people are just not as nice as they look all the times, she wants to believe that this world is fair and peaceful, but people just wouldn't stop being evil to her! That's when something weird happened, whenever she sees herself in the mirror (or her reflection from water) she would turn into someone else.( into Nana) Nana is a girl who'd do whatever u did to Yaya, like a payback, people get confused when they see Nana and think that she's Yaya, and keep making fun of her, and then Nana got them back! (like Karma) It's funny that whenever " Justify" is done, ( that's also when Yaya wakes up to be Yaya again) she'd forget everything, she doesn't know about her being Nana. When will she ever find out about her other self? I enjoyed reading this book! I can't wait to read the second one (Othello 2 )! I hope other people would love it, too! Posted
June 20, 2005(46) The
Bear and the Dragon by: Tom Clancy The book opens up with the assassination of a Russian politician. The Russian police do an investigation and then they find two dead bodies in St. Petersburg. The tow bodies were the people who had assassina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||